A Brooklyn man was sentenced to prison for the murder of 42-year-old man on Tuesday and the verdict came from an anonymous jury after the court found compelling proof that the defendant attempted to interfere with jurors during his first trial that ended in a deadlock, according to prosecutors.
Saalik Jackson, 47, of Bedford-Stuyvesant, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The defendant was convicted of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon on November 14, 2025, following a jury trial, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
On May 14, 2021, at approximately 6:00pm, the defendant brandished a gun on a public street near Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Hancock Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant and, unprovoked, fired at least five shots toward Brandon Washington, 42, who was riding his moped around the neighborhood while searching for a barbershop to get a haircut before attending a memorial service for his grandfather. The victim was struck numerous times about the torso, hip and buttocks.
He was later pronounced dead at Interfaith Medical Center, having died from the gunshot to his torso. The defendant fled the scene following the shooting but was arrested on February 3, 2022.
The first trial was conducted this spring and, after less than two hours of deliberations, the jury indicated to the Court that they were deadlocked 11-1. After more deliberations, the jury did not reach a verdict and a mistrial was declared, the DA said.
Following an investigation by the DA’s Office, prosecutors moved for a protective order limiting disclosure of juror-identifying information in the new trial to the lawyers in the case. Granting the order, the court found that, while jailed on Rikers Island, Jackson had phone conversations with his girlfriend, discussing paying someone $1,000 to “work on” the case and providing him with the jurors’ names. The second jury returned a guilty verdict in just over an hour and a half, Gonzalez said.
“Brandon Washington was unarmed and simply going about his day when this defendant brazenly opened fire, killing him and endangering others nearby," Gonzalez said in a statement. "At a time when shootings are at historic lows citywide and gun violence continues to fall, today’s sentence sends a clear message: we will pursue accountability relentlessly for those who bring gunfire to our neighborhoods."
