Second Defendant
Guilty in 2013 Murder
BOSTON, April
21, 2015—The second of two men who took part in the fatal shooting of 26-year-old
Courtney Jackson at the Dudley MBTA station has been found guilty of murder,
Suffolk County District attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.
A Suffolk
Superior Court jury today convicted JAMEL BANNISTER (D.O.B. 10/7/90) of
Dorchester of second-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.
The jury acquitted him of charges of possession with intent to distribute a
Class B substance and possession with intent to distribute a Class B substance
in a school zone.
Bannister’s
co-defendant, BRIAN COOPER (D.O.B. 1/19/88) of Mattapan, pleaded guilty to
second-degree murder earlier this month. Both had been indicted for
first-degree murder.
Assistant
District Attorney David Fredette presented evidence and testimony to prove that
at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2013, Bannister accompanied Cooper to
the Dudley MBTA station, where they became involved in a verbal altercation
with Jackson. Footage from MBTA public safety cameras at the station
showed Cooper pulling out a firearm and shooting Jackson twice as the victim,
who had recently gotten off of one bus, turned to board another.
The footage also
depicts Bannister pulling something from his pocket at that same time that
Cooper produced a firearm; additional video footage shows him holding something
to his side as he fled.
Two Boston
Police officers working a detail nearby heard the gunshots and rushed to the
area to see the two men running from the scene. Cooper surrendered to
officers and was found to be in possession of a firearm.
Bannister
continued to flee from officers and was taken into custody in the area of
Madison Park Court. A .45 semiautomatic firearm was found tossed over a
fence along his path of flight.
Bannister
returns to court at 9:30 tomorrow morning for sentencing before Judge Richard
Welch. Cooper faces sentencing May 5.
Timothy Munzert
was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Bannister was represented
by John Tardif.
tpdnews.
