In the summer of 2020, a normal Monday in Lansing, Michigan, was shattered by an act of violence that claimed the lives of two brothers. On August 3, 2020, 31-year-old Steven Lee Jackson and his 32-year-old half-brother, Marcus Jackson-Burton, were fatally shot at the Pleasant Grove Plaza in the southern part of the city. Jackson-Burton had recently come back to Lansing from Texas to visit family and had just dropped off his children after enjoying a summer vacation with them.
The incident unfolded inside a restaurant within the plaza. Surveillance footage from the scene captured the chilling moments as the gunman, later identified as Zacharey Leigh Diederichs, entered the establishment without concealing his identity. The video showed Diederichs calmly walking towards the two brothers before opening fire, an act that authorities would later suggest had the characteristics of a targeted 'hit.' Despite the brazen nature of the attack, a clear motive for the killings has never been established, leaving a painful void for the families of the victims who were left to grapple with the senselessness of their loss.
In the wake of the shooting, law enforcement quickly identified and apprehended Zacharey Leigh Diederichs as the primary suspect. He was subsequently charged with multiple felonies, including two counts of murder. The investigation into Diederichs' background revealed a criminal history that dated back to 2013. Ultimately, he was convicted for the murders of Steven Lee Jackson and Marcus Jackson-Burton. Diederichs was sentenced to serve 50 to 75 years in prison for two counts of second-degree murder, bringing a measure of justice to a case that left a lasting scar on the Lansing community. The deaths of the two brothers were part of a troubling increase in homicides in the city that year.
