A Decatur man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after a DeKalb County jury found him guilty of gunning down a man who had just given his ex-girlfriend a ride home. Prosecutors said Aaron La Var Beckles, 49, was convicted this month in the December 4, 2024 shooting that left 47-year-old Isaac Jackson Jr. dead in a DeKalb County driveway.
Driveway confrontation
According to investigators, Beckles pulled into his ex-girlfriend’s driveway and used his vehicle to block Jackson’s car. Prosecutors told jurors that Beckles confronted the woman, knocked takeout food from her hands, then chased after Jackson and opened fire. DeKalb County officers arrived to find Jackson dead in the driver’s seat. Prosecutors said cellphone records and text messages tied Beckles to the scene, including a message sent minutes before the shooting that warned, “either call me back or I'm about to pull up,” and a later text that read, “I'm sorry, I love you, call me please,” according to WSB-TV.
Guilty verdict and sentence
A jury convicted Beckles on charges that included malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Immediately after the guilty verdicts on May 13, the judge sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole plus five years. As reported by On Common Ground News, the verdict and sentence formally closed out the case that prosecutors brought to trial.
Evidence on the record
Prosecutors told jurors they built their timeline with witness testimony, cellphone location data and the text messages entered into evidence. Court calendars reflect the path of the case through the system, with published schedules listing Beckles on DeKalb County dockets under a murder and malice entry prior to trial. The DeKalb County Magistrate Court documented those early court events in its posted preliminary criminal calendars.
Prosecution and investigation
The case was prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Homicide and Gangs Unit. Senior Assistant District Attorney Helen Pott led the trial team, with support from Assistant District Attorney Aaron Brown, according to the DA’s office. Investigators said DeKalb County Detective J. Posey handled the initial investigation, while District Attorney investigator Curtis Averhart and a victim advocate rounded out the prosecution team, according to On Common Ground News.
The conviction caps a months-long case that began with the December 2024 shooting. Authorities said Beckles was arrested days after the killing and later tried before a DeKalb County jury. Published reports did not include any immediate public statements from Jackson’s family in response to the verdict and sentence.
