Photo: Courtesy of Gail Maddox (Facebook)
Several people are facing murder charges after a missing Alabama mother who told her family she was being held hostage was found dead. Birmingham Police said the body of 20-year-old Mahogany Jackson was discovered under a mattress at an illegal dumping site in the 1700 block of Laurel Avenue early Monday morning (February 26).
According to AL.com, Mahogany sent text messages to her mother early Sunday (February 25), writing, "Send the police apt 3 held hostage don’t call." The Black woman also texted her sister the location of the apartment. Police officers and family members showed up at Serenity Apartments in Birmingham's Powderly neighborhood but didn't find Jackson.
Authorities said Jackson had at least one gunshot wound when they found her body. Investigators claim the suspects recorded part of the sexual assault and torture of the young mother, which helped them identify and track down the suspects.
On Wednesday (February 28), Birmingham police announced the arrests of Brandon Pope, 24, Francis Harris, 25, and Jeremiah McDowell, 18, Giovannie Clapp, 23, and Blair Green, 25, Teja Lewis, 26, and Si’Niya McCall, 23.
Pope, Harris, and McDowell were charged with capital murder during a first-degree kidnapping and capital murder during first-degree sodomy. Clapp and Green are facing charges of the same charges plus first-degree kidnapping and first-degree sodomy. Lewis and McCall were both charged with felony murder, with the latter receiving additional charges of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree sodomy. Lewis and Clapp were also charged with second-degree assault for allegedly pistol-whipping Jackson.
“This is undoubtedly one of the most heinous acts I have ever seen in my career,” Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said during a Wednesday (February 28) press briefing.
Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr called the Mahogany's murder "barbaric" and vowed to seek justice on behalf of the victim and her family.
“The senseless and inhumane treatment perpetuated on young Mahogany Jackson was very disturbing and violent," Carr remarked. “Our office will do our very best to make sure they are punished and held accountable for such heinous and unimaginable actions. God bless the family of Mahogany.”
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