Donald Lee Jackson

Case record: Donald Lee Jackson

Background

Donald Lee Jackson was formerly of Columbus.

In 2008, Donald Lee Jackson Jr., aged 52, petitioned Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels for clemency regarding part of his 160-year sentence, making him eligible for parole eventually. A public hearing was held in Indianapolis on the clemency request on Jan. 6, followed by a meeting of the Indiana Parole Board on Jan. 20. A second man, Stuart S. Kennedy, aged 48, of West Chester, Ohio, was convicted in Michelle Marie Gray Seagraves’ abduction and murder and had not requested clemency.

The Indiana parole official Earl Coleman, assistant to the parole board, said Jackson had a “very slim chance” of being granted clemency given the severity of the crime and the length of the sentence. Coleman said Jackson’s first clemency request was rejected in 2007.

Ed Gray, the father of the murder victim, took a public position opposing Jackson’s clemency. Gray said:

"I am for the death penalty and always have been," and also said: "However, because Jackson isn't going to be executed, Gray wants him to die behind bars, not out on the street. He is urging friends, neighbors and anyone who will write to send Indiana corrections officials letters opposing Jackson's clemency. "I just want to get the word out," he said."

The slain woman’s mother, Charlene, died of cancer in 1997.

The offence

Michelle Marie Gray Seagraves, aged 23 and a single mother of a 2-year-old son, was kidnapped outside her home, taken to Indiana, and murdered.

Police later confirmed that Jackson and Kennedy cruised West Side neighborhoods searching for a car to steal to use in a bank robbery. Jackson and Kennedy saw Seagraves outside her Whitethorne Avenue apartment as she was warming up her blue Ford Granada, with her infant son, James, still inside their home.

Kennedy shoved Seagraves into the vehicle and took off. Jackson followed in his white Corvette.

Kennedy drove 135 miles to Moores Hill, Indiana, a small town 30 miles west of Cincinnati that he had previously visited. In a wooded area a mile outside town, Seagraves was bound, beaten with a rock, strangled and shot several times in the back of the head.

Using Seagraves’ car, the duo robbed the Peoples National Bank in Moores Hill, getting away with $88,527. They ditched the stolen vehicle and returned to Ohio in Kennedy’s Corvette. Several Moores Hill residents spotted the sports car and reported the Ohio license plate to Indiana authorities.

Investigation

The first news that Seagraves was missing and possibly kidnapped appeared in a short story inside The Dispatch on Oct. 10, 1986. Within a few days, the abduction and murder of the single mother of a 2-year-old son was making grim headlines.

Ed Gray said:

"We just couldn't believe it," "This whole thing tore our family apart on both sides. It devastated us."

Arrest

Jackson was arrested 24 hours later at his home in Columbus. Kennedy was picked up near Cincinnati.

Trial

Jackson and Kennedy were originally sentenced to death. In 1992, the Indiana Supreme Court overturned both death sentences, essentially ruling it couldn’t be determined who Seagraves’ actual killer was.

Sentencing

3 Franklin County Circuit Court Judge Eugene A. Stewart sentenced Jackson to 60 years imprisonment for Murder in compliance with Indiana Supreme Court Opinion setting aside death sentence and mandating a term of years.

The sentences were to run consecutively with 50 year sentence for Robbery (A Felony), and 50 year sentence for Kidnapping (A Felony), for a total sentence of 160 years imprisonment.

Appeals

Outcome

Jackson remained sentenced in total to 160 years imprisonment for Murder, Robbery, and Kidnapping after the Indiana Supreme Court overturned the death sentences and Judge Eugene A. Stewart imposed terms of years.

Aftermath

Earl Coleman said even if Jackson is given clemency, it would only cut his sentence down to about 60 years, potentially making him eligible for parole in 20 years or so, given time off for good behavior, obtaining a college degree and other factors.

Coleman said:

"Many of these guys are facing very long sentences," and: "To them, clemency is a lot like buying a lottery ticket. … They're thinking about all the good things that might happen and waiting for Saturday night."

A clemency hearing occurred on Jan. 6 in Indianapolis, followed by a meeting of the Indiana Parole Board on Jan. 20.

Timeline

• June 7, 1988 — Donald Lee Jackson was sentenced to death.
• Oct. 10, 1986 — The first news that Seagraves was missing and possibly kidnapped appeared in a short story inside The Dispatch.
• 1992 — The Indiana Supreme Court overturned both death sentences.
• 1993 — Franklin County Circuit Court Judge Eugene A. Stewart sentenced Jackson to 60 years imprisonment for Murder with consecutive 50-year terms for Robbery and Kidnapping for a total of 160 years.
• 1997 — Charlene died of cancer.
• 2007 — Jackson’s first clemency request was rejected.
• Jan. 6 — A public hearing was held in Indianapolis on the clemency request.
• Jan. 20 — A meeting of the Indiana Parole Board occurred following the clemency request.