Shooter of UNCW college student sentenced in 2020 Halloween murder
A man charged with shooting and killing a college student on Halloween in 2020 was sentenced to serve 20 to 25 years in prison for the crime.
In a New Hanover County courtroom, Jaquan Cortez Jackson, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and discharging a firearm, which also came with an additional 1 to 2 1/2 years of prison time with the North Carolina Division of Corrections.
Jackson was charged in the shooting of Carly Rae Baron on Oct. 31, 2020 after a car crash in Wilmington. She graduated from Ashley High School before attending Cape Fear Community College. She was enrolled at the University of North Carolina Wilmington when she was killed.
During the court hearing on Monday, it was said that Baron was going to a party in the area before witnessing a fender bender. State prosecutor Barrett Temple said a female passenger with Jackson started screaming at Black men in the other car, using racial slurs. This offended Baron.
Temple said Baron was someone who stood up for people.
"That's what she was doing, and she lost her life because of it," Temple said.
According to previous reports and accounts in court, the incident escalated before Jackson fired a gun during the argument, trying to defend the female passenger when people got close to his car. It was also said that Jackson talked about how it was in the heat of the moment, a warning shot, and something he shouldn't have done.
Jackson's defense attorney Geoff Hosford said his client accepted responsibility for what he did.
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"I represent a lot of people who did some bad things, but this young man is different," Jackson said while standing next to Jackson.
Officers near the 3600 block of Wrightsville Avenue were responding to a noise complaint when they heard gunshots. Police responded to the area and saw a car speeding away and saw Baron with life-threatening wounds. Attention was spent on trying to save her life, while a police car followed Jackson, who was stopped and detained.
Baron was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries at the age of 23 on Nov. 1, 2020.
Her parents did not make any statements during the court hearing.
"I know her family is devastated," Temple said. "They are never going to be the same."
According to previous reports from the StarNews, those who knew her said "She was such a wonderful light to everyone she met and knew." Baron was also described as a basketball fanatic, a people person, and supportive of those in her life.
“She was just a super nice girl who definitely didn’t deserve what happened to her,” said Christian Erickson, who knew Baron through her brother in high school.
Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Shooter of UNCW college student sentenced in 2020 Halloween murder
