Former Tennessee DB Janzen Jackson Charged With Murder

BigEasyTider · Jun 17, 2014

Crazy stuff, to put it mildly. Per the LA Register:

Janzen Jackson was a prized young football player, a defensive back who donned an orange-and-white University of Tennessee uniform in 2009 after ranking among the top recruiting prospects in the nation.

On Friday, Jackson quietly entered a courthouse in downtown Los Angeles in a yellow shirt and blue pants issued by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and was charged with murder.

Grisly details here. The deceased was the boyfriend of Jackson's mother, and he was found dead by Jackson's mother in the trunk of his own car after being strangled to death by a lamp cord. Apparently Jackson had been having some mental health issues, not surprisingly, and he was the last one spotted with the boyfriend. There is apparently a video at the scene showing Jackson dragging a very large bundle, which was presumably the body of the deceased.

Don't know how this one has stayed out of the media spotlight for so long. Apparently he has been incarcerated for several months, and was seemingly arrested almost immediately after they discovered the body.

Bodhisattva · Jun 17, 2014

Will UT still get Fulmer points for this?

glasscutter256 · Jun 17, 2014

This was Kiffin's recruit. This is one that Kiffin was bragging about stealing away from Florida and Urban. Not so much to brag about now. Hate this happened. If he did murder, then ship him off to some deserted island with no way of getting back.

crimsonaudio · Jun 17, 2014

glasscutter256 said:
This was Kiffin's recruit. This is one that Kiffin was bragging about stealing away from Florida and Urban. Not so much to brag about now.

To be fair, it sounds like Jackson would have fit right in with Urban's Gatahs.

Bamabuzzard · Jun 17, 2014

I know a lot of people take mental health issues more serious now than years ago. But we still have a loooong way to go in recognizing and identifying when mental health or lack there of is playing a role in someone's life. It is a very real thing and though Jackson should pay for his actions. I wonder if someone around him could have recognized he was having some issues with depression, anxiety, bipolar etc. if this could have been prevented?

mittman · Jun 17, 2014

Sad.

This kid had all kinds of raw talent, but apparently has nothing between the ears. He was one of the kids that was involved in the convenience store robbery when he was a freshman.

bamachile · Jun 17, 2014

He was a local hero here at one time. Oddly (or perhaps not so oddly), I haven't heard anything in the local press, either.

TiderJack · Jun 17, 2014

bamachile said:
He was a local hero here at one time. Oddly (or perhaps not so oddly), I haven't heard anything in the local press, either.

And he looked like a very good player with a bright future from what little I saw of him when playing for UT.

Catfish · Jun 17, 2014

I don't mean to be judgmental, but you really shouldn't strangle people.

RollinTider1335 · Jun 17, 2014

Catfish said:
I don't mean to be judgmental, but you really shouldn't strangle people.

That's profiling.

TideMan09 · Jun 17, 2014

I actually remember his recruitment & despite him being a really good player..I remember folks saying he would eventually be trouble or a cancer on the team..Y'all please refresh my memory..Was he one of the players that was involved with the scandal with the escort gals at Tennerrrsee..

WMack4Bama · Jun 17, 2014

crimsonaudio · Jun 17, 2014

Weren't we hard and heavy for this kid at one point?

CrimsonEyeshade · Jun 18, 2014

crimsonaudio said:
Weren't we hard and heavy for this kid at one point?

Very.

mittman · Jun 18, 2014

crimsonaudio said:
Weren't we hard and heavy for this kid at one point?

Yup.

I do remember thinking he was a little small for a safety.

TideEngineer08 · Jun 18, 2014

crimsonaudio said:
Weren't we hard and heavy for this kid at one point?

You win some and you lose some. And sometimes, you win by losing.

Bama Czar · Jun 18, 2014

TideMan09 said:
I actually remember his recruitment & despite him being a really good player..I remember folks saying he would eventually be trouble or a cancer on the team..Y'all please refresh my memory..Was he one of the players that was involved with the scandal with the escort gals at Tennerrrsee..

Not completely sure about the escorts, but I do remember that while at TN, he robbed some guys in a parking lot outside of a c-store in Knoxville. I remember the star-struck victims said it was kinda cool until he took their cheeseburgers too....or something along those lines.

Bama Czar · Jun 18, 2014

glasscutter256 said:
This was Kiffin's recruit. This is one that Kiffin was bragging about stealing away from Florida and Urban. Not so much to brag about now. Hate this happened. If he did murder, then ship him off to some deserted island with no way of getting back.

I think the recruit you may be thinking of was Nu'keese Richardson. Kiffin boasted in front of boosters that he got the recruit & was turning Florida / Urban in for recruiting violations for Urban texting Nu'keese while he was on an official visit to TN. Richardson was a WR.

BigEasyTider · Jun 18, 2014

FWIW, we wanted Jackson very badly, and some of you may recall that a lot of people thought he might flip on National Signing Dayfrom LSU to Alabama, though obviously he instead flipped to Tennessee. We certainly gave it all we had, and just came up a bit short.

No doubt the kid had some pretty incredible talent. Kind of a hybrid player -- like a Tyrann Mathieu, really -- in that he wasn't the best pure cover guy, but he could move really well and he absolutely killed people (no pun intended, of course) despite being undersized. From a perspective of sheer physical domination, he still has one of the most electric high school films you will ever see. Guy just knocked people around like he was an unstoppable force.

In any event, you absolutely hate to hear this for all those involved. Again, crimes aside, it certainly seems to me like he has suffered from some pretty serious mental health issues and that certainly could be at the heart of what he is accused of now. When you get into situations like this, you're far beyond the pale of the typical thug / general criminal category. This is some real depravity.

TrampLineman · Jun 18, 2014

Bamabuzzard said:
I know a lot of people take mental health issues more serious now than years ago. But we still have a loooong way to go in recognizing and identifying when mental health or lack there of is playing a role in someone's life. It is a very real thing and though Jackson should pay for his actions. I wonder if someone around him could have recognized he was having some issues with depression, anxiety, bipolar etc. if this could have been prevented?

What's sad is his Mom had him checked out and obviously they seen nothing wrong.

Former Tennessee DB Janzen Jackson Charged With Murder

FB | REC Moderator

Hall of Fame

All-American

Administrator

FB Moderator

All-American

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

All-SEC

Hall of Fame

Administrator

Administrator

Hall of Fame

All-American

TideFans Legend

1st Team

1st Team

FB | REC Moderator

Hall of Fame

TideFans.shop - NEW Stuff!