For the last three years, the forensics class at William Mason High School in Mason, Ohio, has been researching cold cases, and some of the students this year are analyzing a murder that hit close to home: the 2010 slaying ofAlicia Jackson, a 25-year-old mother who was killed in her Columbus, Ohio, home — in front of her 2-year-old son.
Randy Hubbard, who teaches the class, says that he hopes the course will connect with students in all sorts of surprising ways. “It’s not only forensics, but also just getting the skills of learning how to communicate with professionals or communicate with family members and all the while organizing their thoughts to maybe get attention back on the case,” he says.
Alicia Jackson.Courtesy Shauntay Jackson
“It’s fun to watch kids, especially those that maybe were not that outgoing, suddenly start coming up with ideas,” he says. “They can get a little nervous when I say, ‘Well, call that person and find out,’ and then the next thing you know they’re calling and talking to people. It opens them up and they come up with some great ideas of where to look for information and how to connect things together.”
William Mason High School.Google maps
In Jackson’s case, the students have tracked down autopsy and police reports, interviewed friends, relatives and police and scoured social media and genealogy websites for undiscovered connections.
In February, Hubbard helped the students launch a podcast,Cold Case MHS: Monsters and Demons, that focuses on Jackson’s murder. It is streaming on multiple services.
“Maybe we can get attention back on it and hopefully somebody knows something, or somebody has heard something, and they can go to the police and tell them what they know,” says Hubbard.
It is a case that has haunted police and Jackson’s family for almost 12 years.
The killer apparently swiped two laptops and her phone while leaving her purse and wallet. There were no signs of forced entry. Neighbors heard no disturbance despite the violent scene and blood-spattered living room, and after an extensive investigation that included testing crime scene evidence and questioning persons of interest, the case remains open.
“It seems unfair almost that it was never solved, because she was so loved and there were so many people who still care and are still posting about it, and her son is still there,” says Lily, one of five students working on Jackson’s case. “It seemed like very much so this one deserved to be solved.”
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Hubbard says he thinks he’s teaching law enforcement officers a lesson, too: that he and his students are willing to help — and could possibly make a difference.
“We know that we’re probably not going to solve a case, but we could take some of the stuff off their plate because they just don’t have enough time or money, a lot of times to do the research and to reevaluate a case,” says Hubbard. “Our goal eventually someday is to have police departments that have cold cases on their books for 20 years or so say, ‘Hey, can you guys look at this and review it and tell us what you find or what you think and give it back to us and we’ll see if there’s anything that we can do about the case.’ We’re not there yet because obviously police departments and prosecutors and staff don’t want to give out too much information to high school seniors, but we’re trying to prove to them that we can do a lot of the research that they just don’t have time for.”
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Jackson’s case is among several cold cases that will be presented to law enforcement and family members at the end of April. Jackson’s brother Trevin says he is already thankful for the teens' interest in his sister’s case.
“I think it’s awesome,” he says. “I think anyone who has the same interest in bringing the murderer to justice for the murder of Alicia, is someone who has the same interest as mine.”
If you have any information on this case, contact the Columbus Police at 614-645-4036.
source: people.com
