BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – All eight suspects in the Mahogany Jackson case will now face the death penalty.
The young mom was kidnapped, tortured and murdered back in February.
In September, a grand jury decided that all of the suspects would face capital murder charges. Monday morning, in Judge Kesha Davis’ courtroom, the Jefferson County Deputy District attorney read their formal indictments and included that the state will be seeking the death penalty for all eight suspects.
Prosecutors say Mahogany was not only kidnapped, but sexually abused and murdered, but much of what happened to her was recorded and shared on social media. Most of the suspects stood with their attorneys and listened today as their charges were being read. All of them pleaded not guilty.
Her mother, Gail Shearer, had a tough time in court, even stepping out after four suspects were led out of the courtroom. She shared this statement with WBRC:
District Attorney Danny Carr explained why the state is seeking the death penalty.
“If there’s an aggravating factor that is involved, then those cases are eligible for the death penalty,” says Carr. “We typically don’t do what they call to seek the death penalty. If a case is eligible based on the facts and the law, then we charge them as such. All these separate cases will have disposition we will see what happens whether it is a long stint in jail, being in prison the rest of your life or ultimately facing the death penalty.”
The suspects will be back in court for a pretrial hearing on February 18.
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