A Kent man accused of killing the mother of his children on Valentine’s Day 2024 has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and could spend between 25 and 31 and a half years in prison.
On April 29, Calvin Leonard Jackson Jr., 33, whose last known address was in Kent, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the murder of Anicia Howard, 34, of Kent, the mother of his children, in Auburn. According to documents, the state has recommended that Jackson be given a sentence of nearly 32 years.
According to court documents, with Jackson’s offender score of zero, his sentencing range is between 240 and 320 months, plus a 60-month enhancement because a firearm was used during the commission of the crime. If the judge follows the state’s sentencing recommendation, Jackson would receive a 380-month sentence, or approximately 31 and a half years in prison. In the state of Washington, a judge’s sentence must stay within the sentencing standard range.
“On or about Feb. 14, 2024, in King County, Washington, I unlawfully with premeditated intent caused the death of Anicia Howard, my former girlfriend with whom I have children in common, by shooting her with a pistol,” Jackson said in his guilty plea statement.
Jackson’s sentencing is set for 3 p.m. May 23 before Judge Mark Larrañaga at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
Details of the crime
On Feb. 21, 2024, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Jackson with first-degree murder, claiming he killed Howard with premeditated intent.
Jackson hid in Howard’s backseat after sneaking into her vehicle prior to shooting her multiple times in the back through her seat, according to charging documents.
After shooting Howard, he transported Howard, driving her vehicle to a parking lot in the 3700 block of West Valley Highway North in Auburn, according to court documents. At the parking lot, he reportedly dragged her from the vehicle and fired a round into her face, killing her.
An autopsy conducted at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office found that Howard died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds to her head and torso. A majority of bullets struck Howard in the back, including one to the back of her head.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Auburn Police officers discovered Howard after responding at approximately 2:24 p.m. Feb. 14, 2024, to a report of a woman lying on the ground motionless with a bullet casing next to her.
Officers located Howard hidden in bushes and foliage next to a commercial business complex, according to documents. They removed a fabric material covering her face and saw a gunshot wound to the right side of her face. Howard was the mother of Jackson’s children, according to court documents.
According to documents, on Feb. 15, 2024, upon request, Jackson voluntarily arrived at the Auburn Police Department and was interviewed. Jackson reportedly confessed to shooting Howard, documents state.
In an interview with police, Jackson reportedly said Howard asked him to move out multiple times in recent months, and four days prior to Howard’s death, he learned that she had started a new romantic relationship with a woman. Jackson reportedly described to police how he unlocked her vehicle at around midnight after leaving the apartment. At approximately 3:30 p.m., he returned, hid in her vehicle, and waited in the backseat for her to enter and leave for work.
According to documents, Jackson said that when Howard entered the car and put her purse in the back seat, he took her pistol from her purse and shot her multiple times. Documents state that he said he then drove her car to the 3700 block of West Valley Highway North in Auburn location before dragging her body out of the car.
According to documents, Jackson said Howard was twitching after he dragged her body out of the car, and when he looked at her, it made him angry all over again, and he shot her for the last time. According to documents, he then took a Lyft home.
Jackson returned home to his and Howard’s children and Howard’s mother after the murder, according to charging documents. According to the affidavit, Jackson and Howard’s mother reported Howard missing to the Kent Police Department.
According to the documents, Jackson expressed concern to the Kent officer that Howard had failed to appear for work. However, documents state that Jackson seemed emotionless when speaking with officers the day of the murder.
Documents state that Jackson’s statements were corroborated by the physical evidence located on the scene, the video surveillance of the body dump and the autopsy findings.
The life of Anicia Howard
Howard left behind two sons, ages 10 and 9 at the time, according to her obituary in a funeral program posted online by Adams Funeral Services in Savannah, Georgia. A service was held March 2, 2024, at St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church in Savannah.
She was born on Aug. 10, 1989, at the Georgia Baptist Medical Center. She graduated from Bremerton High School and served in the U.S. Navy from June 8, 2009, until June 7, 2013. Before her death, she was employed as a daycare teacher.
“Her love for her boys, those two bright beautiful boys she brought into this world, was boundless,” Alyiah Burns wrote in a funeral program. “Anicia poured her heart into their upbringing, teaching them resilience, compassion and the importance of family. She was their rock, their confidante and their guiding star. As they grow, they will carry her legacy forward, drawing strength from the love she showered upon them.”
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