A woman who shot her boyfriend in the chest in his home at the Fox Creek Apartments last year in Texarkana, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to murder and residential burglary Tuesday in Miller County.
Mahogany Jashe “Jash” Palmer, 22, killed 40-year-old Ernest Jackson with a single shot from a 9 mm. When she left his residence at the Fox Creek Apartments, Palmer drove Jackson’s pickup to Little Rock.
Jackson’s family contacted apartment management after not hearing from him for several days. Maintenance personnel at the complex found his body May 29, 2021, and the last time Jackson was seen was May 19.
Two days before Jackson was last seen or heard from, Texarkana, Arkansas, Police Department officers had responded to Jackson’s apartment because Jackson wanted them to assist Palmer in leaving because their dating relationship was ending.
Jackson’s truck and keys were missing after his death. Using tracking software on the truck, investigators determined it had been driven to Little Rock and was currently in a tow yard after becoming disabled. Video surveillance from the tow service showed Palmer was the person in possession of the truck.
Palmer pleaded guilty to murder and to a residential burglary that occurred June 1, 2021, at the Village Park South apartments. Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell said television sets taken during the burglary were recovered at the time of Palmer’s arrest.
Miller County Circuit Judge Wren Autrey presided over the hearing Tuesday. Palmer was sentenced to 40 years for murder and 20 years for burglary. The sentences will be served consecutively for a 60-year total sentence.
Mitchell said that in addition to the physical evidence which led to Palmer’s identification as a suspect in the murder, Palmer made statements on jail phone calls further indicating her guilt.