A Baton Rouge woman accused of pressuring her boyfriend to kill the father of her children has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Hope Jackson entered her plea in August to charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence, stemming from the March 22 shooting death of Anthony Wesley Jr.
According to WBRZ, Jackson is accused of pressuring her boyfriend, Riddick Franklin, to kill Wesley, who was the father of her two children. Wesley and Jackson had been locked in a custody dispute, and WBRZ reports Wesley had filed a petition for custody, paternity, visitation and child support for the couple's son and daughter.
Investigators say Franklin waited for hours in the parking lot of Wesley's apartment complex on March 22 before shooting and killing him, per the same WBRZ report. theadvocate.com reports Wesley was found dead by East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputies on the sidewalk in front of his Jefferson Highway apartment in the early hours of that morning, after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Surveillance footage allegedly captured Franklin shooting Wesley once from behind, then standing over him and firing a second shot, according to the outlet.
Texts and Phone Records Cited in the Case
Court records described in WBRZ's reporting allege that Jackson told Franklin she wanted Wesley gone because she was tired of child support not being processed. Investigators also uncovered a message in which Jackson allegedly wrote, “I want him OV,” according to WBRZ's coverage of the case.
The Advocate reports that Jackson's charge is principal to second-degree murder, based on allegations that she was “planning, encouraging and counseling” Franklin to carry out the killing. The outlet also reported that the two were in communication before, during and immediately after the homicide, citing evidence gathered by investigators that included surveillance footage, text messages and phone communications.
Grand Jury Indictment and Court Timeline
An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury indicted Jackson and Franklin on the second-degree murder and obstruction charges in mid-July, according to KPEL 96.5. The pair appeared in court together for arraignment on July 28, but the hearing was rescheduled to August 11 so Franklin could hire an attorney of his choice, the station reported.
Both Jackson and Franklin were charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, and Franklin also faces a charge of felon in possession of a firearm tied to a prior conviction, as well as illegal use of a weapon, according to WBRZ. Reports on the defendants' custody status have varied: KPEL 96.5 reported that Franklin is being held without bond while Jackson's bond was set at $300,000, but an earlier WBRZ report stated that both Franklin and Jackson were being held without bond.
What Louisiana Law Says About the Charges
Under Louisiana law, anyone convicted of second-degree murder faces life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence, according to the Louisiana Legislature. The state's obstruction-of-justice statute addresses tampering with evidence with the specific intent of distorting the results of a criminal investigation or proceeding, per the Louisiana Legislature's separate statutory text.
Jackson's not-guilty plea in August marked the latest step in a case that has moved from arrest to grand jury indictment to arraignment over the past several months. It remains unclear whether Franklin has entered a plea of his own, and neither defendant has been convicted in connection with Wesley's death.
