Man to serve 6 years for shooting victim in the face over a pair of designer sunglasses
Kennyon Jackson soon after police found him hiding in attic insulation.
Courtesy of the Ypsilanti Police Department
This time, Kennyon Jackson, 20, didn't have a choice to show up or not -- he was caught in August hiding under insulation in a Superior Township attic and was in jail with no bond until the Sept. 10 sentencing.
Jackson was sentenced to four years in prison on a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and two years on a felony firearm charge. The sentences will run consecutively.
"We were pretty pleased," Ypsilanti police Det. Joe Yuhas said.
In May, Jackson pleaded guilty to charges related to shooting Antonio Cooper in the face at a South Grove Street apartment in Ypsilanti while Cooper was trying to sell Jackson and Tory Warren, who was also charged in the shooting, a pair of high-end, Cartier sunglasses. The incident occurred in July 2011.
Police arrested Jackson in November 2011 at a Superior Township apartment. He was lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail on a 100,000 cash or surety bond until February, when Judge Melinda Morris lowered his bond to $50,000 with the right to post 10 percent. He bonded out of jail in late February after paying $5,000.
Jackson didn't show up for his sentencing in June. Police caught up with him in August at a home in the 1500 block of Stratford Court in Superior Township. Jackson was found "hunkered" down in some attic insulation, police said.
He had his original bond revoked and was held in jail with no bond until sentencing, Yuhas said.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
observer
Sun, Oct 7, 2012 : 11:57 a.m.
But everyone will know that he will have turned his life around by then......pillar of the community.....someone to invite to the house for dinner....
Doug
Fri, Oct 5, 2012 : 1:17 p.m.
Let's remember the powder puff sentence the next time Judge Melinda Morris is up for re-election.
tinkerbell
Sun, Oct 7, 2012 : 11:42 p.m.
She has to retire. She's reached the age limit
Ann English
Sat, Oct 6, 2012 : 1:16 a.m.
Unless she retires. I thought I did hear within the past three weeks that she's going to leave her position when her current term ends. Retire or run for a postion at a different court.
BHarding
Fri, Oct 5, 2012 : 1:11 p.m.
I wish we could come up with a better answer for these troubled, damaged, men other than just locking them up. On average, it costs $25,000 per year to the taxpayers to turn them into bitter criminals. ($74 Billion yearly across the country) We keep the largest percentage of population in prison than any other country. These should be, but are not, centers of rehabilitation, so the inmates always come out worse than when they entered the system.
tinkerbell
Sun, Oct 7, 2012 : 11:43 p.m.
Rehabilitation comes from within. You can lead a horse to water...
OLDTIMER3
Fri, Oct 5, 2012 : 2:17 p.m.
In some of the other countries you refer to there are more severe punishment. I forget the country off hand but if caught stealing that is what they do ,lop off the hand. If they killed someone ?? who knows. Wasn't there one who got a public caneing for something or other. Maybe that would be your better answer than prison.
Doug
Fri, Oct 5, 2012 : 1:21 p.m.
This criminal shoots someone in the face and you want to coddle him? Incredible! Slap his hands and tell hin "No! No!" and then let him go until his next shot hits its mark.
4Bells
Fri, Oct 5, 2012 : 10:56 a.m.
WOW!! 2 flat for the gun & a few years on the assault after good time & jail time served. This dangerous criminal will be back in town before we know it. Judge Morris is at it again......doing her part to grow crime in Washtenaw County!
Hemenway
Fri, Oct 5, 2012 : 8:45 a.m.
Why did Judge Morris lower the bond? Please consider that story AA.com.
motorcycleminer
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 8:52 p.m.
Yet another fine call by judge ( I use that in jest ) morris...what a prize we have ....
rs
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 7:25 p.m.
I so hope this guy buys a home right next to Judge Morris' retirement house 6 years from now.
Superior Twp voter
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 6:23 p.m.
Waaaaay too short on the number of prison years, Judge. He'll be jail-hardened to the max and at just 26 when released, get right back at running the streets but with much more vigor and much less regard for life.
PhillyCheeseSteak
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 4:21 p.m.
Sentenced Sept. 10th, reported in annarbor.com Oct. 4th. 3+ weeks seems like a long time for this to be reported.
Billy Bob Schwartz
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 3:51 p.m.
I don't recall...what happened to the victim? Shot in the face seems pretty serious.
Davidian
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 4:03 p.m.
Maimed, traumatized, and disfigured.
Tru2Blu76
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 3:50 p.m.
Until now, I never realized that I could shoot someone in the face with a gun I possessed illegally... and get only 4 years in jail. In January, my rent goes up 15% - and here I am ignoring an opportunity to get 4 years of lodging rent free! Not only that, I spent hundreds of dollars and many hours training to use my licensed, paid for, handgun. What a waste! As for the accused, it may have all started with the innocent phrase, "I'd kill for a pair of those Cartier sunglasses." ;-)
Matt Cooper
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.
Despite those who obviously know nothing about American jurisprudence and the old philosophy of making the punishment fit the crime...thank you Judge Morris for making these sentences run consecutively.
greg, too
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 7:14 p.m.
"assault with intent to do great bodily harm" I would think death is great bodily harm. How does he get bumped down to just 6 years total for a felon illegally owning a gun, shooting a guy in the face, and then trying to evade the authorities? How did they only go after him for these two minor crimes (relative compared to murder) when there seems to be pretty decent evidence (he shot the guy in the face) that he was trying to kill him? What are we paying our prosecutors to do? You should not get more time for drug possession or other non violent crimes than shooting someone in the face.
Unusual Suspect
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 7 p.m.
There is only one reason for shooting somebody in the head (face) and that is to kill them.
Matt Cooper
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 4:54 p.m.
Intent to murder them? Really? Now, that's not what he was convicted of. He was convicted of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm, not with intent to murder. That's an entirely different crime and carries and entirely different sentence. Also, since you don't like the sentence, can you show me a sentencing guideline that calls for more than 6 years for the two charges for which he was convicted? Or in your world do you just give him a life sentence?
Davidian
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 4:02 p.m.
Despite those who obviously know nothing about American Jurisprudence, Michigan has parole. Despite those who know nothing about making the punishment fit the crime, let me remind them: he maimed someone with the intent to murder them - over a pair of sunglasses. That is brutal and cold beyond belief. He will be in the prime of his life when he is released. Consecutive sentence or not, that is not justice.
A2brooksie
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 2:04 p.m.
Another classic work of Melinda Morris. The article does not mention his previous convictions (one drug related, the other resisting arrest). So we have a 20 yr old, who has a prior history of resisting arrest, who skips out on his bond (again, a form of resisting arrest-obviously did not learn the first time) sentenanced to just 6 years. Our criminal justice system has failed both our society and this young man. Perhaps if Judge Morris would have set a meaningful sentence in 2009 with his prior arrest, this young man may have "gotton the message". By giving such light sentences, Judge Morris actually hurts these people by thinking there are no consequences for thier actions, so they continue to reoffend rather than rehabilitate. I would not be surprised if as a juvinile this person had run in with the legal system and also received a slap on the hand.
ffej440
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 2:01 p.m.
Why is the detective pleased? job security ? Another wrist slap plea bargin ? How can anyone other than Jackson be pleased with this.
tdw
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 1:56 p.m.
Oooooooo! that"ll show him
Davidian
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 1:36 p.m.
Who shoots to kill over sunglasses? People like that do not deserve to walk among us. Ever.
Billy
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 1:33 p.m.
Sentence is WAY too short. So in less than 6 years he will be back out on the street. Think he'll have learned his lesson?
Unusual Suspect
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 6:58 p.m.
"Sentence is WAY too short" Two words: Melinda Morris.
Wolf's Bane
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 : 1:10 p.m.
I wear my sunglasses at night...