MCALESTER, Okla. –
A man turned himself in to McAlester police and admitted to a murder that happened six years ago.
Police say he admitted to shooting and killing Dustin Parker on New Year’s Day of 2020. The man who surrendered on Friday has been charged with Parker’s murder.
Investigators say they were shocked when Deraje Jackson contacted them, because it’s not every day someone confesses to a murder that happened six years earlier.
What happened
Dustin Parker was a 25-year-old husband and father to four children when he was killed.
“My main thought is the closure for the family and peace for the family,” said Lt. Kirk Johnston with the McAlester Police Department.
Dustin was driving a taxi on New Year’s Day 2020, and police believe Dustin gave Deraje Jackson a ride, and that was the first time they had ever met.
Dustin Parker
“Dispatch received a call of gunshots in the area of a street in West Delaware in McAlester. I was actually the first patrolman to arrive on scene that day,” said Lt. Johnston.
Lieutenant Kirk Johnson remembers finding Dustin with several gunshot wounds that came through the driver’s window.
“The FBI was involved, OSBI was involved. Our agency, multiple agencies worked on this case, and multiple leads were followed. Many avenues were looked at, and the case had remained largely unanswered through the last six years,” said Lt. Johnston.
Until Friday, when Jackson confessed to killing Dustin.
The confession
“He gave us a lot of details as to why he came forward. We’re not sharing that full story, just yet, because it does tie into some of the details that we are still investigating,” said Lt. Johnston.
The Pittsburg County District Attorney, Chuck Sullivan, says he was also surprised by the confession, and his office is ready to get justice for the victim’s family.
“You want that for every family of any crime, any victim, and their family, you want to get justice for them. So of course, we’re excited for this opportunity to do that,” he said.
Deraje Jackson was arraigned Monday afternoon.
Previous convictions
He’s been convicted in the past of burglary, stolen property, forgery, making violent threats and having a gun as a felon.
Records show his most recent conviction was three years after the murder, in 2023, when he was sentenced to 4 years in prison for having a gun as a felon, and he served 13 months.
