'Cold and premeditated': Peoria man receives 90-year sentence for 2021 fatal shooting

A Peoria man was sentenced to 90 years in prison Thursday for his role in the shooting death of a 21-year-old on the Fourth of July in 2021.

Eric R. Jackson, 21, received a 65-year sentence for first-degree murder, plus another 25 years to be served consecutively on aggravated battery charges for killing Michael Anthony Charles Johnson II in his driveway in the 600 block of Haungs Avenue on July 4, 2021. Jackson was convicted in January following a three-day trial.

Circuit Judge John Vespa said at the sentencing hearing that while Jackson didn't have any adult felonies prior to this incident, he felt that his prospects for rehabilitation over the course of his life were poor, as he was a frequent juvenile delinquent with charges of domestic battery, burglary, retail theft and unlawful trespassing of a stolen vehicle on his record.

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Jackson was accused of shooting Johnson in the back of the head while he was in a parked car at his house, firing at least 15 shots in the process. Two other victims were hospitalized as a result of the incident, which occurred shortly after Johnson had conducted a Fourth of July fireworks show at his house.

Three family members provided victim statements during the hearing, with Johnson's mother, Kimberly Purdy, saying that she had been thrown into depression as a result of her son's death and that the world would not be safe if Jackson received a light sentence.

Johnson's girlfriend, Keytreona Lee, called Johnson, "Mr. Make-it-Happen," and felt sad that his young son would never be able to experience the man that she got to know during his short time in this world. His grandmother, Diane Grimes, said that Johnson deserved justice, as he was someone who cared for everyone he met, with Jackson's actions hurting everyone in the family.

Assistant State's Attorney Donna Cruz, leading the prosecution for the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office, said that Jackson's actions represented an "exceptionally cold, premeditated" ambush of Johnson and two others at his home on the night of the shooting. She said that the juvenile system's continued action of placing him on probation was nowhere near the kind of deterrent needed to rehabilitate a man like Jackson and prevent him from taking the actions that he did.

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Cruz said that Jackson was callous in text messages sent to his mother following the shooting and that he was proud of displaying the 50-round drum used to kill Johnson and wound two others. In addition, she said Jackson had not taken responsibility for his actions and the area would not be safe if he was freed.

Speaking for the defense, Chicago-based attorney Myron Goldstin said that the maximum combined sentence of 105 years was too much, instead saying that a 50-year sentence was more appropriate. He felt that Jackson would not be a threat if released in his 60s or 70s and that justice sometimes needs to be tempered with mercy in cases such as this one.

Goldstin also attempted to file a motion for a new trial before sentencing began, saying that eyewitnesses couldn't prove that Jackson's bullets were the ones that hit Johnson and killed him. That request was denied by Vespa, but Goldstin did indicate following sentencing that his client would like to have a public defender for an appeal, which would need to be filed within 30 days.

If appealed, the case would be heard by the Fourth District Appellate Court based in Springfield.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria man sentenced to 90 years in prison for 2021 murder