Baltimore Man Accepts Plea for 2020 Murder of His Friend

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A Baltimore man pleaded guilty to two of 14 charges in connection to the Aug. 22, 2020, unintended murder of his friend despite beginning the day intending to face a jury.

Datwain Jackson, 23, will face life in prison with all but 20 years suspended for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and 20 years, the first five without the possibility of parole, for firearm use in a felony violent crime. The prosecution did not pursue conviction for the other charges against Jackson, including participating in a criminal organization resulting in death and various firearms charges.

Jackson’s defense attorney, Augustine Okeke, requested that Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Robert K. Taylor, Jr allow the defendant to serve his two sentences concurrently. With no objection from the prosecution, Judge Taylor agreed to allow Jackson to serve time for the two charges, as well as for his current sentence of 15 years, suspending all but 12, for a 2022 conviction for firearm possession with a felony conviction, concurrently. Judge Taylor also will recommend Jackson’s enrollment in the Patuxent Youth Offenders program.

The plea that Jackson accepted on May 29 is the second plea that the defendant was offered. On Dec. 8, 2023, Jackson rejected a plea for 10 years in prison for conspiracy to participate in a criminal gang, 20 years in prison for participation in a gang resulting in death and five years in prison without the possibility of parole for firearm possession with a felony conviction.

According to the prosecution, on Aug. 22, 2022, Jackson and others were present when Andrew Frazier, 19, was fatally shot on the 900 block of Turnbridge Road. Frazier was not the intended target but instead a close friend of Jackson and a victim of friendly fire. In the days leading up to the shooting, Jackson and others had expressed animosity toward and discussed confronting the intended victim via text, Instagram direct message and prison phone calls.

As Judge Taylor sentenced Jackson, he told the defendant, “If that doesn’t teach you that guns aren’t going to fix problems then I don’t know what will.”