ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The death sentence for a man who confessed to killing a runner in the Bent Creek area of Buncombe County in 1994 has been reduced to life in prison.
A federal jury convicted Richard Allen Jackson of using a firearm during the kidnapping, sexual abuse and murder of Karen Styles on Oct. 31, 1994, in Pisgah National Forest near Asheville, according to court records. The jury recommended Jackson be sentenced to death. Per that recommendation, the district court imposed the death sentence on May 14, 2001.
President Joe Biden on Monday announced he was commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment. Jackson is one of those who will now serve life without parole.
The case
Styles, a recent graduate of Western Carolina University, disappeared from a trail in Pisgah National Forest on Oct. 31, 1994. Her car was found parked at the head of the trail, and the key was found on the trail two-tenths of a mile from the parking lot, according to court documents. But there was no sign of Styles.
A little more than three weeks later, a hunter found Styles’ nude body duct-taped to a tree, where investigators also found a duct-tape wrapper, a pornographic magazine and one spent Remington .22 caliber rifle casing, court documents said.
An autopsy revealed Styles, 22, died from a single bullet wound to the head. Court documents said she had also suffered several stun-gun wounds to her body.
Investigators recognized the duct-tape wrapper as the brand sold at K-Mart. When sheriff’s deputies contacted the nearest K-Mart store, which was about 1 mile from the murder site, they found a receipt for a transaction that occurred on Oct. 28, 1994, court records said. The receipt showed the person bought a .22 rifle, a box of Remington .22 rifle ammunition, duct tape, a flashlight and batteries. The ATF Form 4473 generated upon the purchase of the rifle revealed the purchaser to be Jackson.
On Dec. 20, 1994, Jackson voluntarily accompanied officers to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office for an interview. Jackson waived his Miranda rights and answered questions for about three hours, court documents said.
When asked what he did with the rifle that he used to shoot Styles, Jackson responded, “I think I need a lawyer present,” according to court documents.
After being told authorities knew he bought the rifle and duct tape and was in Bent Creek on the day Styles was killed, Jackson broke down, crying and insisting he did not mean to kill anybody, court records said. Jackson then signed another waiver of his Miranda rights and offered a full confession.
Court documents said Jackson was crying during his confession, and the report indicated that at times during the interview the officers could not understand his words. Jackson repeated many times that he did not mean to kill Styles.
During a search of Jackson’s home and cars, investigators recovered a functional stun gun, a flashlight, a black “Ninja” outfit, a wrapper to an adult magazine and a partially empty box of .22 caliber rifle bullets. The afternoon of the killing, Jackson returned the gun to K-Mart and received a refund.
The trials
Jackson was charged in Buncombe County with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree rape. After the trial court denied Jackson’s pretrial motion to suppress his confession, a jury returned a guilty verdict on all three charges. Jackson was sentenced to death. On appeal, the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed Jackson’s conviction and ordered a new trial, concluding that police had violated Jackson’s Miranda right not to be interrogated after he had invoked his right to counsel.
On March 3, 2000, Jackson pled guilty in state court to second-degree murder, first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping. The stipulated prison sentences in the agreement totaled more than 31 years, and Jackson received credit for five years already served.
But the case didn’t end there. Federal prosecutors stepped in because the assault and killing happened on national forest property.
On Nov. 6, 2000, a federal grand jury returned a superseding bill of indictment charging Jackson (in one count) of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, specifically murder, kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse. At trial, the government called 22 witnesses and introduced physical and testimonial evidence, including Jackson’s confession, which was received without objection, court documents said. The jury returned a guilty verdict.
Sentenced again
During the sentencing phase, the government presented the testimony of the victim’s mother, Kathleen Styles, and the defense presented the testimony of Jackson’s adoptive mother, Sally Jackson.
The jury found unanimously that the government had proved beyond a reasonable doubt four aggravating factors, including the fact that Styles’ death occurred during the commission of the offense of kidnapping, and the fact that Jackson committed the crime in an “especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner in that it involved torture or serious physical abuse to Karen Styles.”
All 12 jurors signed the verdict form, unanimously recommending Jackson be sentenced to death.
In accordance with that recommendation, the district court entered judgment on May 14, 2001, finding Jackson guilty of the offense charged in the indictment and imposing the sentence of death.
According to federal records, Jackson, 55, is being held at United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, a high-security federal prison for male inmates in Terre Haute, Indiana.
The president’s decision
Biden’s move Monday leaves three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history.
“I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” Biden said in a statement released by The Associated Press. “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.