A Texas father was arrested after fatally shooting a man who allegedly threatened to expose his stepdaughter's intimate photos.
Jessie Clifford Brown was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison following a jury trial on Friday (November 1).
On May 20, 2015, deputies responded to a crash reported in Liberty City, Gregg County, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southeast of Dallas.
When they arrived at the scene, they discovered 24-year-old John Allen Franco in his truck with a gunshot wound to the upper left side of his head.
Image credits: Cottonbro studio / Pexels (Not the actual image)
Following a two-year investigation, authorities arrested Brown in October 2017.
Witnesses claim they saw Brown and two other men pull up beside Franco before Brown allegedly got out of his vehicle and fatally shot the 24-year-old through the driver's seat window, as per KLTV.
A witness told the investigator that Brown wanted to assault Franco because Franco had threatened to leak nude photos of his stepdaughter. According to court documents, the woman and Franco had previously been in a relationship.
Franco was fatally shot at Old Highway 135 and Smallwood Road in Liberty City as his young daughter watched, Longview News-Journal reported in 2015.
Image credits: KLTV 7
"Man, you gotta have a heart," Cody Grace, a friend of Franco, said before Brown's arrest. "Not (just) one guy was affected by this, you know. His daughters, his two daughters have been affected by it, his mother, his aunt, and all his cousins."
While the state referred to the case as homicide, the defense asked the jury to "reserve judgment until the end of the case."
The defense questioned the witnesses, and the state called a DPS trooper to the stand, who showed the intersection in Gregg County where the shooting took place.
Witnesses claim they saw Jessie Clifford Brown pull up beside John Allen Franco's truck before shooting him
Image credits: KLTV 7
Image credits: KLTV 7
On October 30, Brown's father-in-law took the stand for the state. The man said Brown called him after the shooting and confessed to the action, saying it "got out of hand."
The following day, Brown took the stand for questioning and denied having killed Franco. The 42-year-old could not recall where he was the day of the shooting and said he would never hurt anyone.
When asked if the person who killed Franco should be accused of murder, he responded affirmatively.
After three hours of deliberation, a jury found Brown guilty of murder on Friday. In addition to serving 40 years in prison, Brown has to pay $10,000 for the murder of Franco.
Brown was sentenced almost ten years after the crime was committed
Image credits: KLTV 7
On social media, people voiced their opinions about the trial and Brown's actions, with many siding with the shooter. "What happened to justifiable homicide defense? He should get a medal, not a jail cell," one Facebook user wrote.
"I wouldn't convict him," agreed a second user.
Another user, believing the sentence to be excessive, commented, "He was 42. How old was his stepdaughter? What about her rights or justice when someone threatened her with private images? Give this guy some probation and tell him not to do it again."
Others expressed frustration at the investigators' slow response in finding the shooter. "Why did it take almost 10 years?" one user asked. Another questioned the motive behind Brown's actions, commenting, "The pics are probably already out there. This isn't worth a life."
The victim, 24-year-old John Allen Franco, was previously in a relationship with Brown's stepdaughter
Image credits: Freepik (Not the actual image)
Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (Not the actual image)
Last month, an Arkansas father named Aaron Spencer was arrested for fatally shooting 67-year-old Michael Fosler after finding him in a car with his missing 14-year-old daughter.
According to Spencer's wife, Heather, the teenager had previously been groomed and assaulted by Fosler.
Heather stated that the "monster who hurt [their] child" was "quickly" charged earlier this year for abusing her, but was released "even faster on a $50K bond."
In addition to serving 40 years in prison, Brown has to pay $10,000 for the crime
Image credits: gregg county judicial records
The teenage girl went missing on October 8. "Aaron was able to retrieve our child alive, but in the process, he was attacked and did what he had to do to protect himself and our minor child. He is now facing an outrageous murder 1 charge," Heather shared. Ultimately, Spencer was released from the Lonoke County Detention Center after posting bail.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Bored Panda.
A Facebook user referred to the crime as "vigilante justice"
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