🔨 Jackson and Soto convicted of manslaughter

Justin Kyle Jackson, 24, and Eric William Soto, 23, have been found guilty of manslaughter and possession of an unlicensed firearm in a case related to a robbery that went awry last summer. The incident resulted in the death of 63-year-old Harry Elliott, who was shot during the robbery. The jury, composed of six women and six men, returned the verdicts after a day of deliberation. Although initially charged with murder, the jury was directed by Justice Cheryll Richards to consider the alternative verdict of manslaughter given the circumstances of the crime.🔫

Jackson, who fired the fatal shot, claimed through his attorney that he did not know the weapon was loaded and that there was no intention to kill. Soto, who accompanied Jackson in the robbery, claimed he was unaware Jackson had a gun. The jury struggled to reach unanimous verdicts, resulting in majority verdicts against Soto on both counts. However, both men were unanimously found not guilty of murder. Following the verdicts, the judge ordered social inquiry reports for both men and victim impact reports from Elliott's family. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 25 January.👨‍⚖️

Throughout the trial, neither Jackson nor Soto denied being the men captured on CCTV footage at the scene of the crime. They denied murder, arguing that there was no intention to kill, only to scare people into surrendering cash. The prosecution argued for murder, stating that the men had entered into a joint enterprise to rob the establishment using a loaded firearm, making Elliott's death a foreseeable consequence of their actions.🏦