A Fort Worth man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his cousin in 2023, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said.
Jacoby Roberts, 25, was found guilty of capital murder in the fatal shooting of Jailon Freeman, 25, according to a Thursday news release. Roberts’ attorneys didn’t immediately respond to a comment request Thursday afternoon.
The shooting took place on April 4, 2023 at an apartment complex in the 5100 block of Ivy Wood Lane.
Related:Suspect in connection with April slaying in Fort Worth turns himself in
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Prosecutors said Roberts believed Freeman owed him money from drug deals the two had conducted. They said as a result, Roberts helped put together a fake drug deal to lure his cousin out of his apartment, before shooting him in the back of the head.
Officials said Roberts then fled the scene with a bag of cocaine and a handgun that Freeman had with him.
“This was an ambush,” Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Matt Rivers told the jury, according to the news release. “He knew what he did was wrong, so he ran.”
Roberts turned himself in days after the shooting, Fort Worth police said.
Jordan Thurman and Draylon Gowans, who are facing capital murder charges for their involvement in the fake drug deal, have yet to be prosecuted, according to the news release.