Victim Statement—Jennifer Pickett 5/29/19

I do not believe that you deserve a single word from me, however, I will not allow
you to stand in this courtroom without hearing this message. It is impossible to
put into words how our lives have changed since you murdered Jake. But this I
can say confidently…I wholeheartedly agree with the plea agreement of life in
prison without parole for many reasons. First of all, I have a core belief that no
human being has the right to take another human being's life. This belief alone
separates me from you. Secondly, I will not allow this single, selfish action to
define Jake's life, my life, or the lives of our children. That shot you knowingly
turned and fired that stole Jake from us is only one horrific, traumatic part of our
story, but it will not be the whole story. When I think of our children's future and
the future that you stole from them, I will not allow you to take up any more of
their lives with a death sentence that will drag on for 20-30 years with frequent
hearings that will constantly reopen the wound you created. My boys deserve
better. I deserve better. And you do not deserve one more minute of our time or
energy.

You have stolen a future that was promised to us. You have stolen a father from
two little boys. We promised to be a family to them and in one selfish act, you
robbed them of a lifetime of happiness with their daddy. You have stolen their
innocence. They now believe this world is full of evil murderers like you. Daily
routines such as car rides to sporting events and bedtimes include conversations
I should never have to have with children who recall graphic details of their
father’s death…details that include images of the bandage around Jake's head,
the bruising of his eyes, and the stillness of his body in the hospital bed as he
laid there on life support. We talk through nightmares about bad guys shooting at
the house and at them. We talk through the fear they have that our dear friends
who work in law enforcement will be shot and killed like their daddy. I now
answer questions like "How many times was Daddy shot?" and “Mommy, will you
keep me safe so no one shoots me?” I am left trying to understand when my

 little boy says he doesn't like Jesus and God because Jesus and God get to be
with the Daddy he desperately wants to spend time with. You see, not only was
my best friend, my husband, and the father of my children killed that day but for
those 2 boys, their sense of safety was shattered. You have robbed them of the
freedom to be children who believe the world is safe.

The last year of our lives has been consumed with a grief that sometimes feels
unbearable. I attend counseling to try to process something I cannot really even
begin to understand. And now I am both mom and dad and walk this parenting
path alone. I am the one who is left to guide my boys on a journey none of us
should even be on.

Your cowardly, impulsive action took years away from a man who deserved so
many more. You took away family vacations. You took away playing catch in the
backyard. You took away driving lessons and father/son trips and the feeling
they would have had on graduation day looking out at a man who believed from
the beginning they would succeed. You took away the opportunity for Jake to
teach them how to ride their bikes. You took away the opportunity for Jake to
teach his sons how to treat others, how to be a gentleman and how to be a good
husband. Your action created a domino effect that has forever changed the
trajectory of the lives of two little boys who now seem to be experiencing an
alternate timeline.

But here is what you can never take from them. You cannot take their ability to
rise up…and they will. They will succeed. They will move through the tragedy
and heartache you created and will do so with courage and grace. They will carry
these “should’ve beens” and move forward alongside a fierce mama who
regretfully has accepted a challenge no mother wants to accept. I will guarantee
my children have every opportunity to move forward, always remembering the
man Jake was and would have been. Jacob selflessly loved others, served

 others and cared for others. We will live the way Jake taught us because you
cannot steal his legacy.