BOSTON, May 26, 2016—A Suffolk Superior Court jury this afternoon convicted a Mattapan man of murdering 25-year-old Keosha Gilmore, a childhood friend who did not share his romantic feelings, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

After one day of deliberations, jurors found CHRISTOPHER JACKSON (D.O.B. 10/8/86) guilty of second-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and carrying a loaded firearm in connection with Gilmore’s Feb. 19, 2012, shooting death.

He faces a mandatory term of life in prison with the possibility of parole during his sentencing Tuesday.

During nearly a week of testimony, Assistant District Attorney Mark Zanini presented evidence and testimony to prove that Jackson, angry that his childhood friend Gilmore did not share his romantic feelings, approached the victim as she sat in the passenger seat of a car parked on Alabama Street with another man on the night of Feb. 19, 2012.  He fired a gun through the passenger window directly at Gilmore and fired twice.  One bullet struck Gilmore in the head, mortally wounding her; the second went through her arm and into her chest.

Jackson then fled into New Calvary Cemetery, where he attempted to hide the murder weapon, latex gloves, and other items – all of which were recovered by Boston Police that same night.

During the course of their investigation, Boston Police homicide detectives became aware of Jackson’s romantic interest in Gilmore.  They interviewed Jackson, obtained a DNA sample from him, and conducted testing that matched his unique genetic profile to DNA evidence on the items discarded in the cemetery on the night of the shooting.

During a subsequent interview, Jackson made statements admitting that he had discarded the items and “made the mistake of letting my anger overshadow my intelligence.”

The victims of any crime, including domestic violence, should call 911 in an emergency. SafeLink, a statewide DV hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020. SafeLink is answered by trained advocates 24 hours a day in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as TTY at 877-521-2601. It also has the capacity to provide multilingual translation in more than 140 languages.

Assistant District Attorney Gretchen Sherwood second-seated Zanini at trial.  Eliana Builes is the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate.  Jackson is represented by Kevin Mitchell.  Sentencing before Judge Raffi Yessayan is scheduled to take place Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 815 of Suffolk Superior Court.

–30–

All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.