Homicide Defendant Deemed Incompetent in Father’s Murder

By Sara Palmer [former] - April 29, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects |

A 32-year-old homicide defendant was ruled incompetent to stand trial by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale E. Rasin on April 24.

According to previous reporting, Ruben Jackson, Jr. was sentenced in 2020 to 25 years for second-degree murder and a concurrent five years, with three years on supervised probation, for firearm use in a felony or violent crime by Judge Yvette M. Bryant in connection to the murder of his father, Ruben Jackson, Sr.  The case was successfully appealed in August 2023.

According to Jackson’s attorney Janie Meckler, Jackson, Sr. subjected Jackson, Jr. and his mother to years of psychological and physical torture that contributed to her client’s mental illness. 

Judge Rasin agreed with Meckler that Jackson, Jr. is incompetent to stand trial due to mental illness and signed an order of commitment to a Department of Health facility as he is considered dangerous to himself, others and the property of others. 

Jackson, Jr. is to be admitted within 10 business days. 

According to documents from the District Court of Maryland, on April 14, 2019, Baltimore Police Department officers arrived at a residence on the 5800 block of Halwyn Street, where they found Jackson, Sr., dead from multiple gunshot wounds to the head. The victim was discovered by his wife in the basement of the home covered by a blanket. 

Jackson, Jr. was taken in for questioning, during which he allegedly confessed to shooting and killing his father. On his way to a be interviews, a fired bullet was found in his jacket pocket, further connecting him to the murder.