COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Supreme Court Tuesday will hear the case of a Cleveland man on death row for the killing of a Laundromat employee during a crime spree in 2009.
Jeremiah Jackson was found guilty of shooting and killing Tracy Pickryl, who was working as a manager at a laundromat when Jackson killed her in a botched robbery attempt in June 2009.
Following a trial, Jeremiah Jackson was convicted of aggravated murder, two attempted murders, several robberies, kidnapping, and other offenses committed in three counties over 17 days.
Jackson’s lawyers have argued that the state should be prohibited from executing him because his intellectual capacity is impaired, according to a spokeswoman for the court.
Jackson’s attorneys claim that the trial court showed bias when it held a hearing on Jackson’s mental capacity without a request by the defense to try to prevent an appeal.
His lawyers also claim that Jackson did not freely agree to waive his right to jury trial. According to a Supreme Court release, Jackson said “his head was banging and he was having difficulty focusing during the waiver discussion.”
They also maintain that the Cuyahoga County grand jury did not have jurisdiction to indict Jackson for offenses that took place in Erie and Lorain counties.