In the late hours of a summer evening in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the life of 19-year-old Angel May Carter was tragically cut short. On August 9, 2020, Carter, a young woman with a vibrant spirit who enjoyed the outdoors, camping, and fishing, was found shot to death at the Rodeway Inn on Goshen Road. Her death was quickly ruled a homicide by the Allen County Coroner's Office, marking the 29th homicide in the county that year.
The investigation into Angel's murder swiftly pointed towards
40-year-old Thomas Jermaine Jackson. In the hours leading up to the shooting, Angel and Jackson were seen with a few other people outside a room at the motel, drinking and playing cards. The night took a dark turn, however, and Angel was later found dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Fort Wayne Police identified Jackson as a person of interest and, due to the perceived danger he posed, a SWAT team was called to a room at the inn where he was believed to be. Jackson was not present at the time.
A crucial piece of evidence in the investigation was surveillance footage from the motel. The video captured a man, identified as Jackson, knocking on the door of Angel's room while holding a gun. When no one answered, he obtained a key from the front desk and entered her room. A short time later, the footage showed both of them exiting the room, at which point Angel fell to the ground as Jackson stood over her with the gun. This video evidence directly contradicted Jackson's initial claims to the police that he had run for his life after an altercation.
Homicide detectives arrested Thomas J. Jackson on a murder charge. His trial took place over two days in June 2021. During the trial, a witness named Peter Long testified to seeing Jackson fleeing the hotel on the night of the murder. The jury found Jackson guilty of murder and also found that he had used a firearm in the commission of the crime.
On July 30, 2021, Thomas Jermaine Jackson was sentenced. The court noted several aggravating factors, including his extensive criminal history, previous failed attempts at rehabilitation, and the fact that he was on probation at the time of Angel's murder. The judge also pointed to the brutal nature of the crime. Although Jackson expressed that he was 'sorry for the family's loss,' the court did not find his remorse to be genuine, stating that he was sorry for himself and the long prison sentence he was facing. Jackson received a 65-year sentence for the murder, with an additional 20 years for the use of a firearm, resulting in an aggregate sentence of eighty-five years in the Department of Correction. His subsequent appeal of the conviction and sentence was denied.
