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After a five-day trial, a Charles County jury found 20-year-old Elijah Bernard Barnes guilty of second-degree murder and related charges for the 2023 killing of Rajon Lateef Jackson III, according to State’s Attorney Tony Covington.
On Jan. 13, 2023, officers from the Charles County Sheriff's Office responded to Harvest Fish Place in Waldorf after reports of a shooting.
When they arrived, they found Jackson lying in the street, suffering from four gunshot wounds to his face and neck, officials said.
Jackson was rushed to a hospital but later died from his injuries.
A witness at the scene told police that Jackson had just stepped off his school bus and was walking home when Barnes called him over to his car.
As Jackson approached, Barnes opened fire, striking him four times before speeding away, officials said. Investigators quickly connected Barnes to the killing.
Surveillance footage from a nearby gas station captured him in a silver Toyota Corolla with a missing driver-side hubcap just minutes before the shooting, and additional footage from a neighborhood camera caught the same vehicle near the scene moments later.
Authorities issued a warrant for Barnes’ arrest, but he fled the state. He was tracked down five days later in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where he was arrested, officials said.
Barnes is scheduled to be sentenced in May, when he will face up to 68 years in prison.
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