Idaho man accused of rape left prison just months before. He was in for domestic violence

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Editor’s note: This story contains graphic content about alleged sexual abuse.

When a Caldwell man was sentenced to 2½ years fixed in an Idaho prison for beating and threatening to kill his then-girlfriend and her teenage daughter, the judge handing down his sentence called it “just, fair and reasonable,” court records and audio reviewed by the Idaho Statesman showed.

Now, over two years later — and eight months after he was released from prison — the same man has been accused of raping a woman.

In late April, the Caldwell Police Department arrested 50-year-old Marcus Jackson again, this time on several felonies, after police said he sexually assaulted the 19-year-old and attempted to strangle her.

“(The victim) stated she has to do anything Marcus wants her to do or she will get beaten,” Caldwell Police Officer Bradley Davis wrote in a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Idaho Statesman.

In an interview with police following his arrest, Jackson denied raping and strangling the teen, alleging they were “friends with benefits,” the affidavit said. The woman said Jackson paid $20,000 for her and she wasn’t allowed to leave.

Concerns about the likelihood of Jackson reoffending were brought up during his 2021 sentencing for domestic violence with a traumatic injury and aggravated assault, with the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office saying in court he was at an “undue risk to commit” a similar crime.

While Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Tessie Buttram asked for a slightly longer overall sentence, the difference between the minimum amount of prison time she requested and what the judge gave — upholding a plea deal between the prosecution and defense — was about six months.

In the months leading up to that December 2020 arrest, Jackson was charged on two occasions with misdemeanors related to domestic violence — one of which was later dismissed, according to court records reviewed by the Statesman. He also previously faced a charge in Nebraska, where he was raised, for the sexual assault of a child in the third degree in July 2016, records showed. It’s unclear what happened to that charge.

“I believe that this is my wake-up call to get back on the right track, and to work on my issues,” Jackson said just before he was sentenced to prison by then-4th District Judge Samuel Hoagland in 2021.

Hoagland sentenced Jackson to a maximum of 10 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 2½ years.

“I think this sentence is just, fair and reasonable,” Hoagland said at the time.

It was less than two years later when Jackson was released from prison on parole, an IDOC spokesperson told the Statesman by email, because he was credited for the 268 days he spent in the Ada County Jail before his conviction, court records showed.

‘I pray you never hurt anybody ever again’

The day before New Year’s Eve in 2020, Jackson appeared at the Ada County Courthouse for a sentencing hearing on two misdemeanor domestic violence charges, court records showed. He was placed on supervised probation and told he wouldn’t face additional jail time.

Sometime later that day, he got his ankle monitor removed by the court and immediately drove to the liquor store to buy two fifths of alcohol, which Jackson and his then-girlfriend drank, Hoagland said during the sentencing.

“That very day that he was sentenced, he committed these horrific crimes against (his then-girlfriend) and her 15-year-old daughter,” prosecutor Buttram said during the sentencing, adding that the victim’s 4-year-old daughter was also present.

During the roughly 40-minute fight, Jackson strangled his then-girlfriend, with her 15-year-old daughter — who called 911 — witnessing parts of the assault, Buttram said. Jackson also threatened both the girlfriend and her daughter with a knife.

His then-girlfriend said during the sentencing that their relationship lasted less than a year and was “extremely toxic,” adding that she’d since moved on, rekindling the relationships Jackson destroyed.

Her teenage daughter also spoke during the sentencing, calling Jackson a “ruthless and disgusting man” who didn’t care about anyone other than himself. The then-underage girl alleged Jackson touched her inappropriately.

“You put my family and I through hell,” the girl said. “Some of the stuff you put us through, no one should go through no matter the age.”

Buttram asked Hoagland to sentence Jackson to 12 years in prison with the possibility of parole after three years, adding that Jackson’s domestic violence evaluation showed he had a “high risk to re-offend.”

Hoagland sentenced Jackson to slightly less time, acknowledging during the process that Jackson accepted responsibility for his actions but did minimize the event. Hoagland added that he received a host of letters in support of Jackson from family, co-workers and his ex-wife.

They described him as a church-going, hard-working, honest, polite and respectful man, Hoagland said. Hoagland also shifted some of the blame onto Jackson’s ex-girlfriend because she punctured the tires on his vehicle, disregarded the no-contact order and lied to the court in the prior misdemeanor case, he said.

“She wasn’t completely innocent in that,” Hoagland said. “That’s not to say Mr. Jackson doesn’t deserve to be punished for what he did, because he does and he did do it.”

Hoagland didn’t respond to a phone call seeking comment.

Buttram acknowledged during the sentencing that the ex-girlfriend minimized her previous misdemeanor case against Jackson to try to get the charges dismissed, but she pointed out that it’s not uncommon in domestic violence cases — especially when the “cycle of violence” allows an offender to manipulate and break down a victim to keep them in the relationship, she said.

“I allowed you to abuse me and I still defended you when I shouldn’t have. You shoved a wedge between my friends, my family and my girls,” Jackson’s ex-girlfriend said during the 2021 sentencing. “I pray you never hurt anybody ever again. …

“I pray that if you do, you get a greater punishment than you do today.”

The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘I’m done with the abuse’: Affidavit details 2024 arrest

Just after 9 a.m. on April 28, Jackson and the 19-year-old were inside his RV off Laster Street in southeast Caldwell, near the city limits, when he slammed her head onto his penis and forced it inside her mouth, according to the affidavit.

She then attempted to leave.

“I’m done with the abuse and being raped,” the teen said she told Jackson, recounting the incident to police. “I wanted to go be with my best friend — and be safe for one more day.”

Jackson threatened to “torch” the woman’s belongings and then strangled her three separate times, the affidavit said. In one instance, she told police, she “saw stars” and thought she was going to pass out.

She was eventually able to fight off Jackson by punching and kicking him, the affidavit said, and walked two miles to a Sonic Drive-in, flagged down a passerby and asked to use their phone to call police.

Davis, who responded to the call, said the woman had discoloration on the left side of her neck.

Jackson was arrested later that day at his RV, where he lives, and booked into the Canyon County Jail. He’s being held on a $1 million bond, according to the affidavit and online court records. He has been charged with three felonies: rape, aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, court records showed.

Police obtained a warrant to search Jackson’s RV and found a Glock 9mm handgun with ammunition, which Jackson is prohibited from owning because of the 2021 domestic violence conviction.

If convicted, Jackson could face up to life in prison on just the rape charge, under Idaho law.

“Mr. Jackson has no place in our community. His actions underscore the definition of pure evil and we will not allow him to continue preying on innocent people any longer,” Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram said in a prior news release. “My heart hurts for the survivor of this horrific attack, and I commend her for being brave.”