Woman admits fatal stabbing of roommate
NORRISTOWN » A Norristown woman admitted to fatally stabbing a man during a “heated” argument outside the borough apartment where they resided and she faces up to three decades of court supervision under a plea agreement reached in Montgomery County Court.
Jacqueline Janis Jackson, 36, formerly of the 800 block of Smith Street, was sentenced on Thursday in county court to 15-30 years in a state correctional facility after she pleaded guilty to a charge of third-degree murder in connection with the 2:14 a.m. May 20, 2019, stabbing death of 58-yearold Charles Dewalt. Thirddegree murder is a killing committed with malice under circumstances that show an indifference to the value of human life.
“Using a deadly weapon on a vital part of the human body gives rise to malice,” county Judge William R. Carpenter said as he explained the elements of third-degree murder and accepted the plea agreement.
In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dismissed a more serious charge of firstdegree murder, which is an intentional killing, against Jackson.
“It’s a sad case. He was trying to help her get her life together…and she stabbed him once in the chest. It is a tragedy,” said Assistant District Attorney Allison Ruth, explaining prosecutors reviewed the facts and information about Jackson’s mental health history. “Given everything, it was the appropriate outcome.”
Defense lawyer Carrie L. Allman, reading from pretrial evaluation reports, explained to the judge that Jackson was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, bipolar and substance abuse disorders, suffered sexual abuse as a child and underwent mental health treatment and treatment for anxiety and depression in the past.
“All of these factors played into the resolution of this case,” said Allman, chief homicide lawyer for the Montgomery County Office of the Public Defender.
Jackson, wearing a face covering, was linked to the courtroom from the county jail via a teleconferencing network in order to comply with social distancing
recommendations. Five of Dewalt’s tearful relatives attended the hearing. Coprosecutor Bridget Gallagher read to the judge a letter that was written by Dewalt’s daughter, who described her father as “funny and charming” and as a man who would go out of his way to help others.
“He was a gentleman and a supportive father… and now he’s gone, just like that. There’s a piece of us that’s gone and we’ll never get that back,” the woman wrote to the judge.
The investigation began when Norristown police were dispatched to the Smith Street residence for a report of a stabbing and found Dewalt lying in a parking lot at the rear of the residence “with a visible stab wound to his chest,” according to the criminal complaint filed by Montgomery County Detective Michael Crescitelli and Norristown Detective William Klinger.
Dewalt was transported to Mercy Suburban Hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined Dewalt died from a stab wound to the chest and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. A forensic pathologist also noted a superficial knife wound to the left side of the victim’s face, detectives said.
A neighbor, according to court papers, called 911 at 2:12 a.m. after he heard a male and female arguing outside.
“(The neighbor) described the argument as sounding ‘heated’ so he looked out his window and observed a male and female in the parking lot,” detectives alleged, adding the neighbor went to another window to get a better look. “When (the neighbor) looked out this window he saw a person lying on the ground.”
The neighbor went outside and saw the victim lying on the ground and observed “blood and fleshy meat” in the victim’s upper chest, above his nipple, according to the arrest affidavit. “(The neighbor) stated the victim did not speak and had labored breathing,” Crescitelli and Klinger wrote in the criminal complaint.
Detectives also interviewed a close friend of Dewalt who stated he went to the apartment shared by the victim and Jackson to retrieve a phone charger that he had lent to Dewalt. The friend told detectives that when he looked through a window of the apartment he observed Jackson punch Dewalt, who fell to the floor, according to the criminal complaint.
Dewalt and the friend then went outside to Dewalt’s car so Dewalt could retrieve the friend’s phone charger and Jackson, “holding a large knife in her right hand,” followed the men to the parking lot, detectives said. Jackson was yelling at Dewalt, claiming Dewalt owed her money and that Dewalt peeked at her while she was naked in a bathroom, according to the arrest affidavit.
“He wanna (sic) peek at me he gotta (sic) pay me,” Jackson shouted, according to court documents.
The witness told detectives Jackson began to stab and poke at Dewalt with the knife and also tried to slash Dewalt’s neck but was unsuccessful. Jackson walked to Dewalt’s vehicle and tried to stab the tires but the knife bent, and then she proceeded to rip the side mirrors off of the vehicle, detectives claimed.
The witness heard Dewalt say, “Stop with the knife Jackie” just before Jackson lunged at Dewalt with the knife, according to the arrest affidavit.
“(The witness) heard Dewalt moan, grab his chest and fall to the ground. (The witness) said after Jackson stabbed Dewalt she ran back into the apartment,” detectives wrote in court documents.
When detectives interviewed Jackson several hours later, she admitted to stabbing Dewalt, adding she used a kitchen-type knife she retrieved while inside her apartment.
“Jackson described the knife as having a black handle with a blade approximately eight inches in length,” Crescitelli and Klinger wrote in the criminal complaint.
Investigators recovered a large kitchen-type knife, containing bloodstains, outside in front of the residence, according to court papers.