Court of Appeals affirms ruling in Lowndes Co. burglary case
The state Court of Appeals on Tuesday affirmed the guilty verdict of a Lowndes County man convicted of breaking into a neighbor's house in 2015.
D'Anzor Fernon Jackson was 27 at the time of his arrest in May 2015, after a neighbor claimed Jackson broke into her apartment on Mother's Day, exposed himself in front of her and her children and made several bizarre statements that could be interpreted as sexual innuendos.
According to court documents, Jackson then claimed to be the second coming of Jesus Christ after he was forcibly restrained by officers.
The responding officers said Jackson appeared to be under the influence of drugs. However, Jackson claims he may have been incoherent as a result of officers shooting him with a Taser and repeatedly shocking him.
Jackson later speculated his marijuana may have been laced with a more potent drug or someone may have “slipped something into his drink.”
In 2013, Jackson also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine. He was sentenced to six years in prison, with five years
of post-release supervision and $1,200 in restitution. An attempted robbery charge was retired following his guilty plea.
The victim spotted Jackson while giving an official statement to police and identified him as the suspect.
Jackson appealed his conviction after being sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Lee Coleman, contending that the guilty verdict was not supported by sufficient evidence.
Court documents say Jackson's only argument on appeal is that the testimony of one witness, which is in direct conflict with his testimony in multiple places, is insufficient to prove the elements of burglary.
The Court of Appeals cited precedent, though, highlighting a longstanding rule in Mississippi that says a single witness's uncorroborated testimony is sufficient to support a conviction.