Jury finds man guilty of murder of Birmingham teenager who was shot dead in 2021

A Jefferson County jury today found a 22-year-old man guilty in the shooting death of a Birmingham teenager.

LaQuandre Rashaud Kelly was found guilty Thursday morning of the 2021 murder of 18-year-old Jeremy Fidel Jackson.

On Sunday, December 12, 2021, at 12:06 a.m., West Precinct officers were called to a residence located at 956 Pike Road for a report of a person being shot.

When police arrived, they found Jackson slumped in a chair in a front room of the unit. The Birmingham Fire Department pronounced him dead at the scene at 12:22 a.m.

The two men did not know each other.

The family was told that Kelly said something to the effect that Jackson “looked like a demon.” At that moment, Jackson was shot.

Jackson was described by his family as someone who always had a smile on his face and was ready to help whenever and wherever he was needed.

“Anything anyone asked him to do, he did,” said his older sister Jasmine Leonard shortly after his death. “He was a great soul.”

Jackson had attended Hueytown High School and worked as a manager at Crown Kitchen & Catering in Ensley.

“He loved to cook and was so helpful,” she said. “He was just a happy kid.”

Kelly was taken into custody shortly after the fatal shooting.

His trial began Tuesday before Jefferson County District Judge Shanta Craig Owens.

Testimony took place on Tuesday and Thursday, with closing arguments on Thursday morning. After deliberations, the jury returned its guilty verdict.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Meaghan Willis and Julie McMakin.

Kelley was represented by Livingston Walls and Sammie Shaw of the Jefferson County Public Defender's Office.

Owens has scheduled sentencing for September 9.