Oklahoma appeals court upholds life sentence in 2 deaths

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the life prison sentences of a 22-year-old man convicted of the shooting deaths of two people outside a Tulsa convenience store.

The appeals court handed down the decision Tuesday in the case of Jermaine Jackson, who was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole on each of two counts of first-degree murder.

Jackson was found guilty by a Tulsa County jury of the Sept. 8, 2012, shooting deaths of 18-year-old Jenks High School student Kristjan Hinrik Thorsson and 37-year-old John White III.

Jackson claimed he acted in self-defense when he shot into a car occupied by the two victims. Both victims were shot in the head.

Among other claims, the appeals court rejected arguments that Jackson’s attorney was ineffective.