On the evening of April 7, 2018, a party at the White Castle Community Center in Louisiana took a tragic turn, ending the life of 21-year-old Thailan RaeKwon Cutno. Cutno, a male, was with friends in the gymnasium when another individual approached, struck him on the head with a gun, and then fatally shot him in the chest and back. The festive atmosphere was shattered, leaving a community in mourning and a family heartbroken over the senseless loss of a young life.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to Tyler Jackson as the perpetrator. Detectives from the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office interviewed witnesses who provided a description of the shooter. One of Cutno's friends positively identified Jackson from a photographic lineup. Just three days after the deadly encounter, Jackson was located in Baton Rouge and arrested. The motive for the killing appeared to stem from jealousy; reports indicated that Jackson had seen Cutno speaking with a woman in whom Jackson was interested. Further incriminating himself, Jackson sent a message to someone after the shooting, stating, 'Bruddha I got myself a soul.'
More than four years after the incident, justice for Thailan Cutno was served in a courtroom. Following a three-day trial, an Iberville Parish jury found Tyler Jackson guilty of second-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to the mandatory term of life in prison at hard labor, without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. Jackson later appealed his conviction, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence against him, but the court affirmed the original verdict and sentence, ensuring he would be held accountable for his actions on that fateful night.
