8/21/14 - The man convicted in the Livingston County murder last year of his brother-in-law will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars. 50-year-old Mark David Jackson of Vestaburg was sentenced Wednesday to serve a 40-100 year prison sentence following his guilty plea to second-degree murder in the death of 52-year-old Jonathan Risinger. Jackson, who was sentenced as a 4th-time habitual offender, claimed Risinger attacked him first after the two got into an argument last October 4th. He said he had gone to Risingerâs Unadilla Township residence to talk about marital problems involving his sister, who was married to the victim. A medical examiner ruled Risinger died of injuries consistent with blunt-force trauma which may even have involved strangulation. There were also several severe burns on the body. Prosecutors said Jacksonâs self-defense claim was countered by his actions after the death, including the fact that left his brother-in-law for two without checking to see if he was alive or dead, only returning on October 6th to make the scene appear as if the death had occurred during a robbery. At the time of the murder, Jackson was on parole for a 1996 conviction in Livingston County on six counts of 2nd degree home invasion, for which he served 14 years in prison. (JK)
↧