On July 13, 2016, an Ascension Parish jury found Jamari Jackson, age 33, of 41270 Merritt Evans Rd. Prairieville, LA., guilty of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals after brutally beating a dog in June 2014. Jackson was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Joni Buquoi and Amy Colby with the Honorable Judge Jason Verdigets presiding over the matter.
On June 14, 2014, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to 41270 Merritt Evans Rd. Prairieville, LA., regarding an animal cruelty complaint. The complainant advised that she had just witnessed an individual who she was able to positively identify as Jamari Jackson beating a dog with a baseball bat. Upon the arrival, deputies were advised by witnesses of the gruesome scene. Deputies as well as independent witnesses described the dog as lifeless and full of blood. Deputies were able to hear the dog whimpering and struggling to breathe. When questioned about the condition of the dog, Jackson advised deputies that the dog had gotten stuck in a barbed wire fence. Deputies were able to locate the bat described by the complainant inside of Jackson’s residence. Jackson was arrested and transported to the Ascension Parish Detention Center where he was booked for Aggravated Cruelty to Animals. Approximately 2 days later, the dog succumbed to her injuries.
During the trial, Jackson testified that after discovering the dog stuck in a barbed wire fence, he used the bat to knock her unconscious so she would be relaxed. Three doctors classified as experts in Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Pathology testified that the injuries sustained by the dog were from blunt force trauma which caused traumatic injury to the brain sufficient to cause death, not a barbed wire fence. Jurors deliberated for just over an hour before returning a guilty verdict.
On September 12, 2016, Jamari Jackson appeared in court for sentencing. The Honorable Judge Jason Verdigets ordered that Jackson be committed to the Louisiana Department of Corrections for a period of 5 years at hard labor with credit for time served.