A Rock Island man who pleaded guilty to his role in the 2013 shooting death of tattoo artist Derek Jackson was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison.
Court records show that 27 year old Aaron D. Henderson II must serve 85% of the sentence and was given credit for time already served. He must also serve three years of mandatory supervised release once he completes his prison term.
In February, Henderson pleaded guilty to armed robbery, a Class X felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison. He was originally convicted of first-degree murder in March 2015 and later sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Jurors did not believe he was the one who pulled the trigger on the gun that killed 24 year old Jackson in his Rock Island home on Dec. 18th, 2013. They did, however, agree Jackson likely died during a robbery gone bad and that Henderson was accountable for his death.
His co-defendant, Yolanduis L. McDuffie, was found guilty of first-degree murder in October 2017 and later sentenced to 55 years in prison.
The following month, the Illinois Third District Appellate Court tossed Henderson’s conviction and ordered a new trial.
The Appellate Court opined that now-retired Rock Island County Judge F. Michael Meersman erred when he allowed the officer manager/IT specialist for the state’s attorney’s office and a bailiff to be present when the jury reviewed video and audio recordings during their deliberations during Henderson's trial.
(Photo courtesy of KWQC