In the late summer of 2019, the life of 23-year-old Alexander Dashiell Jackson was tragically cut short. On September 13, 2019, his decomposing body was discovered in a ditch in a wooded area off of North Mann Road in Morgan County, Indiana, by a woman walking her dog. Due to the state of decomposition, dental records were required to confirm his identity. An autopsy later revealed that Jackson had died from a single gunshot wound to the head, and his death was ruled a homicide. Investigators believe his body had been there for about four days, with neighbors reporting hearing gunshots in the early morning hours of September 9.
A lengthy 13-month investigation followed, piecing together the events that led to Jackson's demise. The investigation led authorities to two individuals from Indianapolis: Justin M. Blake, then 19, and Britney D. Overton, then 26. Cellphone records and private social media conversations were key in connecting them to the crime. Investigators learned that Overton, who was considered a close friend of Jackson, was upset with him over allegations that he had stolen money from her. Evidence suggested that Overton acquired a gun just days before the murder and had removed Jackson as a friend on Facebook shortly after he was believed to have been killed.
The investigation uncovered a chilling narrative of betrayal. Blake and Overton were accused of being with Jackson in his rental car, shooting him, and then leaving his body in the ditch. The rental car was later found abandoned, having crashed into a tree about eight miles from where Jackson's body was discovered. DNA evidence from a key ring found in the car linked Overton to the scene, along with Jackson's DNA. A significant breakthrough came when Blake's grandmother informed police that he had confessed to her, claiming he shot a man five times because he thought the man was going to kill him. He even showed her a news story about the discovery of Jackson's body.
In October 2020, both Justin M. Blake and Britney D. Overton were arrested. Blake faced two counts of murder and one count of robbery, while Overton was charged with one count of murder and one count of robbery. In February 2022, a jury found Justin Blake guilty of murder and robbery. He was subsequently sentenced to 61 years in prison and will only be eligible for parole after serving 75% of his sentence. Britney Overton later pleaded guilty to robbery as part of a plea agreement. The murder charge against her was dropped, and she was sentenced to 20 years in state prison.
