Man Sentenced For ‘Senseless’ Killing Of Woman Who Drove Him To Buy Cigarettes
A man was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of murdering a woman “he hardly knew” after she gave him a ride to buy cigarettes in Galveston County, Texas, prosecutors announced on Wednesday.
Mark Anthony Jackson, 44, was found guilty of shooting and killing Karli Hope Hurley, 27, in what prosecutors described as “a particularly senseless act of violence,” according to a news release.
Prosecutors said that the incident occurred in the early morning of Oct. 25, 2021, when Jackson came to Hurley’s apartment to ask for a ride to the gas station to buy a pack of cigarettes.
After going to the gas station, the two then went to a rural area in League City where Jackson shot Hurley in the back twice and left her face down, still alive, in a partially flooded drainage ditch where she slowly died, prosecutors said.
Karli Hope Hurley was a mom of two children whose “family was very important to her,” according to her obituary.
“The evidence at trial showed this was a particularly senseless act of violence shown to have occurred without provocation or identifiable motive,” the statement read.
Jackson then returned to Hurley’s apartment and “tampered” with the gun used to kill Hurley, prosecutors said.
A driver found Hurley’s body the next day, and Jackson was arrested on Oct. 28, 2021. After almost 2-years of pretrial motion, Jackson was found guilty on Jul. 19. At his sentencing, prosecutors emphasized Jackson’s criminal history.
According to her obituary, Hurley enjoyed life to the fullest and was loved by her family. She left behind two children.
“She loved spending time with family. Her family was very important to her. She would do anything to protect her family. She loved her children dearly... the most precious gift she had,” her family wrote.
According to data by the non-profit group Everytown for Gun Safety, an average of 43,375 people die by guns in the U.S. each year, with an average of 3,996 in Texas.
