The killing occurred back on Aug. 16, 2023.
TERRELL, Texas — A former Terrell High School student was sentenced to 42 years in prison for shooting and killing 17-year-old Damaria Jackson about a mile away from campus.
According to a news release from the Kaufman County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, on Aug. 16, 2023, Darren Coleman, who was 16 at the time and had been expelled from Terrell High School two days prior, rode the school bus with a loaded gun to campus. The release stated that Coleman shot Jackson three times, fleeing the scene and leaving him dead on the sidewalk.
Coleman was certified by a juvenile court to be tried as an adult. He was tried in the 86th District Court of Kaufman County. During the trial, the news release said the jury heard testimony from law enforcement officers, DNA and ballistics experts, as well as Coleman’s cousin to whom he admitted murdering Jackson.
According to the attorney’s office, Coleman was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 42 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division. During the sentencing portion of the trial, the DA’s office said the jury heard from multiple members of Jackson’s family, who shared their devastation from his loss.
“While nothing can undo the loss of an innocent life, hopefully this sentence will bring Damaria Jackson’s family a little closure,” District Attorney Erleigh Wiley said in the news release. “My heart is with them in their time of healing.”
