In the early hours of a Tuesday in February 2010, the life of 28-year-old Sherry Ann Jackson came to a violent and tragic end inside her Milwaukee home. On February 16th, police were called to a residence in the 6100 block of N. 35th St. shortly after midnight, where they discovered the bodies of Jackson and a 25-year-old man, Mario M. Brown. Both had been shot to death in what investigators quickly suspected was a domestic dispute.
The hours leading up to the fatal encounter revealed a
story of a past relationship. Jackson's ex-boyfriend, Jonah A. Agnew, who was 28 at the time and from Brookfield, had gone to her home late on the evening of February 15th. He let himself in with a key, hoping to surprise her and possibly reconcile. Instead, he found Jackson in her bedroom with Brown.
What followed was a brutal act of violence. Agnew, armed with two guns, fired over thirty rounds, repeatedly shooting both Jackson and Brown. The sheer number of shots indicated the intensity of the rage that had overtaken him. After the shootings, Agnew went outside and asked a stranger who was walking by to call 911. He admitted to the killings at the scene.
A short time after the discovery of the bodies, Agnew was arrested by Milwaukee police, and a weapon was recovered. His admission of guilt was a central point in the ensuing legal proceedings. The primary issue for his trial was not whether he had killed Jackson and Brown, but his state of mind when he committed the acts. His defense argued that he had acted with "adequate provocation," which could have potentially reduced the charges from first-degree to second-degree intentional homicide.
Despite this defense, a trial to the bench found Jonah A. Agnew guilty of two counts of first-degree intentional homicide. The court determined that his actions did not meet the legal definition of adequate provocation, solidifying his conviction for the murders of Sherry Ann Jackson and Mario M. Brown. An appeal of his conviction was later denied, upholding the original verdict. Sherry Jackson was survived by her two children, her parents, and two brothers.
