June 18, 2025 • 47 mins
In March 2014, when two bodies were discovered behind a convenience store, Galveston County homicide detectives were stumped on who and why these victims were killed. A letter, a window shutter, and surveillance footage would lead investigators to the shocking and horrible truth. This is the case of Brittney Cosby and Crystal Jackson of Houston, Texas.
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Research for Episode 53 includes:
Analysis: 32 years of U.S. filicide arrests | News from Brown
Anti-LGBT Hate Crimes Are Rising — But We Really Don’t Know How Much | Security.org
Anti-LGBT Victimization in the United States - Williams InstituteFather Arrested in Murder of Lesbian Daughter and Partner
Father found guilty of capital murder for killing daughter, her girlfriend | Local News
Father of murder victim arrested in connection to daughter and friend's death | 6abc Philadelphia
HRC | New FBI Data: Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate Crimes Continue to Spike
ID: See No Evil, Season 8, Episode 1 “I loved my Daughter”
James Cosby, Houston man, charged with killing daughter and her girlfriend, report says - CBS News
Man convicted, sentenced in daughter's death | FOX 26 Houston
Man found guilty of capital murder in death of daughter and her girlfriend - ABC13 Houston
Prosecutors say man shot daughter in head, clubbed her female lover
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
On the morning of March 7th, 2014, around 7:45 AM, 911
operators received a disturbing call.
It was from a clerk working at Fisherman's Cove Food Mart in
Port Blvd. Texas.
The guy who delivered Budweiser products to the store had gone
behind the dumpster to dispose of some trash when he came
across a horrific scene. He hurried back into the shop
(00:26):
and told the man behind the counter that there were two
bodies by the dumpster and that he should contact the police.
He said that before he calls though, to please go and check
to make sure they aren't just mannequins.
The clerk quickly confirmed uponreturning they were not
mannequins. Who were these victims and who
(00:51):
was the monster who had murderedthem?
And threw them out like trash. Hello and welcome to Shades of
(01:11):
Murder. In this podcast, I discuss cases
of murder from around the world and throughout history,
attempting to unravel the layersof darkness that help make
humans kind of monsters. Please be forewarned that each
episode contains specific and attimes very graphic and
(01:34):
disturbing details of the case. This show is not intended for
all audiences and listener discretion is strongly advised.
Homicide detectives promptly headed to the location of Port
Bolivar, a community on the northern shore of the Bolivar
Peninsula that is separated fromthe island of Galveston, TX by
(01:56):
the entrance to Galveston Bay. The route most people take there
is via the ferry, which takes approximately 18 minutes.
When officers arrived on the scene, they appeared to be one
female and 1 male, both deceased.
The first victim appeared to be shot in the head and the other
had their head wrapped up in a sheet.
(02:17):
The individual, believed to be amale, wore military style boots,
dark jeans, and was wearing boxers underneath.
When they removed the sheet, they realized that victim #2 was
also a female. The second woman had been struck
multiple times by a blunt force object to her skull.
There was no sign of any sexual assault.
(02:38):
It was obvious that rage had been present during the
Commission of these two murders.Yet there was very little blood
found at the crime scene. There was no blood spatter that
you would expect from a gunshot wound.
It was clear that the women had not been murdered at the
location of the convenience store.
(03:00):
Crime scene investigators went over every section near where
the women's bodies were found, hoping to find a clue.
There was a piece of a house, possibly window shutters, that
were blood stained. Near their bodies was also a
letter addressed to someone named Brittany Cosby with an
(03:21):
address in Houston, which was about 50 miles away.
Using the address on the letter,homicide detectives drove to the
residence to see if a Brittany Cosby had lived there.
Upon their arrival, they immediately observed that a
window shutter was missing. The shutter appeared to be
identical to the one located at the crime scene.
(03:45):
An elderly woman answered the door.
She identified herself as Annie Lee Cosby.
The woman confirmed that yes, Brittany lived there and that
she was her granddaughter. When detectives entered the home
and looked around, they saw photos of the woman whom they
knew now was one of the victims.Now they had to break the
(04:10):
horrible tragic news to this feeble old woman, this 92 year
old woman who was an amputee in a wheelchair, that her beloved
granddaughter had been murdered.According to her, the day before
the two women had left for work and that was the last time she
had seen either one of them. The grandmother pulled at
(04:32):
pictures of the two women on herphone who were a couple.
She said Brittany's girlfriend was named Crystal Jackson.
Shortly afterwards, an older manarrived at the house.
He immediately asked what was going on.
When officers asked if he was Brittany Cosby's father, the man
confirmed that he was and then officers told him that his
(04:52):
daughter was found dead. That man broke down in tears
asking what had happened. The main officer, who was a
father himself, sympathized withwhat the man must be
experiencing. When asked what vehicle the
women drove since the car was missing, it was described as a
2006 two toned grey Kia Sorento.Officers asked Brittany's father
(05:18):
if the couple had any known enemies, to which he simply
stated no. When they mentioned to him that
they noticed one of the window shutters was missing from the
house, he claimed that he'd beenthat way for a while.
Mr. Cosby stated that the Mexicans worked around the house
and that Pepe, the yard man, would have been the last one to
(05:38):
have seen the boards. When Galveston PD inquired with
the clerk inside the conveniencestore if they recognize the
victims, the person recalled maybe seen them a few days
before. When detectives watched the
surveillance footage of the convenience store, they saw a
woman enter around the time it was believed the two women had
been there. Both victims had been petite
(06:02):
women and this woman on camera was not.
No one else was seen on the video.
When they viewed the camera footage of the parking lot, they
hoped to see a vehicle in view, but unfortunately no vehicle was
seen that fit the description. Their first lead had led to
nothing. A BOLO was placed in the system
(06:23):
and a search was conducted for Crystal Jackson.
The results returned a license that positively identified her
as being the second homicide victim.
They obtained an address from her license.
When an older man answered the door, he identified himself as
Mr. Ivan Jackson, Crystal's father.
(06:43):
That man told officers that Crystal and her daughter lived
there with him and his wife. When he was told about his
daughter's murder, he broke downsobbing right there in front of
the officers telling them, and Iquote, I told Crystal that
Brittany was trouble. Crystal's father was a local
preacher at a church, and he didnot hide his unhappiness or
(07:07):
disapproval about his daughter'ssexual identity.
Ivan Jackson was particularly unhappy that Crystal was
involved with Brittany Cosby, although he never specified as
to why he didn't like her. Ivan Jackson claimed that he'd
been doing his best to accept itbecause he left his daughter.
(07:29):
The man also owned a semi automatic gun.
Crystal's father, Ivan Jackson, now appeared to be a strong
potential suspect. Investigators second lead was to
visit the yardman Pepe. When officers arrived at his
residence, the man who identified himself as Pepe was
much older and more feeble than they had expected.
(07:53):
He walked with a cane. It was obvious that he was not.
Their double homicide suspect. Brittany Cosby's aunt Ebony
Mcdade happened to go on to Facebook before heading out for
a concert that night. The same day the women's bodies
were found, there were multiple messages from people on her
Facebook page saying that they thought her niece and her
(08:16):
girlfriend might be dead. Ebony went to the Channel 13
website and was shocked to see the faces of her young niece,
Brittany and her girl from Crystal plastered on the front
page. She immediately called her
brother James and said she was on her way over.
Ebony was filled with sadness, confusion and rage when she
(08:41):
arrived at the Cosby residence. She held her grieving brother in
her arms tight, comforting him the best she could happening.
Mcdade desperately needed to know who had killed her niece
and her girlfriend. When investigators interviewed
(09:01):
Crystal Jackson's father, Ivan, he said that he loved his
daughter. He told detectives that he had
done his best to raise her right, but somewhere along the
way she had fallen to the wrong side.
He simply stated to the police that he didn't like her changing
her sexual orientation, but there was nothing he could do to
(09:22):
change her. Ivan Jackson said that he knew
that lesbian stuff would get herinto trouble.
It would be her end. He made it quite clear that he
was not OK with her being gay, and then it was a point of
contention and conflict between him and his daughter.
(09:43):
Ivan Jackson remained a strong potential suspect in the eyes of
law enforcement. Autopsy results returned on the
two women's bodies. They revealed that Brittany
Cosby had been struck five timeson the back of the head with a
blunt force instrument splittingher skull, and she had also been
choked. Crystal Jackson had a gunshot
(10:05):
wound to the side of her head with an exit wound.
Detectives believe that whoever killed the women wanted to get
rid of Crystal quickly. However, the brutal nature of
the injuries Brittany had endured let investigators
believe her death had been much more personal.
This had them refocus their efforts on who held rage towards
(10:28):
Brittany Cosby and why. Detectives began to investigate
the route the perpetrators wouldhave taken from Houston to Port
Bolivar where the ferry had likely been used.
They contacted the ferry managerwho confirmed that on the
evening before the bodies were discovered, a 2006 Kia Sorento
had travelled on the ferry. The manifest stated that at 9:18
(10:51):
PM, the Kia crossed over and that exact time the ferry
surveillance shows a 2 tone greyKia Sorento arriving.
But officers couldn't see insidethe windows to verify who was
driving the vehicle. They went back to the footage
and watched the time the Kia landed on the ferry at 9:13 PM,
(11:13):
it was observed that the driver's side headlight was out.
This could help them find the vehicle.
Then, when the security guard was talking to the driver, the
person suddenly stepped out of the car.
The camera was too far away, unfortunately, to make a clear
identification, but the person appeared to be male in build and
(11:34):
height. The individual towered over the
vehicle. Officers next interviewed the
security guard at the ferry. She remembered that it was an
older black man who had been well groomed.
She also noticed that the man didn't seem to be familiar with
the vehicle. The security guard helped
(11:56):
officers sketch an image of the driver.
Unfortunately, when the sketch was done, the image failed to
match either Ivan Jackson or James Cosby.
Police were completely lost on who they should be looking for.
Then, officers decided to take acloser look at the autopsy
report. It specifically said that
(12:17):
Crystal Jackson had been shot with a high caliber firearm,
which did not match the 25 caliber gun that her father,
Ivan Jackson owned. At that point in the
investigation, the police prettymuch ruled him out as the
perpetrator of this vicious double slain homicide.
Detectives were growing increasingly more frustrated and
(12:40):
they were stumped by who had killed these two young women.
Every suspect and theory they came up with was shut down as
soon as it came up and they weregetting nowhere with a case.
Officers learned that Brittany was employed at Starbucks.
When they talked to her manager,they said she never showed up
(13:02):
for her shift that day, which was very unlike her.
Now. Detectives could work within the
time window from the last time she was seen at her house to
when her vehicle arrived on the ferry, so they began looking for
any surveillance footage around her residence and the
neighborhood. A local liquor store had
(13:23):
surveillance footage that covered the street that Brittany
would have travelled on. At 7:48 AM on March 6th, they
see her vehicle drive past the camera.
Then a white sedan that had beenparked on the side of the road
makes a sudden U-turn and follows the Sorrento.
The vehicle was identified as a white Hyundai Sonata.
(13:47):
But who was driving the car and why were they following these
women? Around 12 hours later, at 7:43
PM, what appears to be a Kia Sorento pulls up and parks at
the same corner. The car had been coming from the
direction of Brittany Cosby's residence and was now headed in
(14:09):
the direction of Galveston. Detective Kilburn received
evidence returned from the crimelab.
It was a fingerprint that had been lifted from a piece of
paper that had been wrapped around the blood spattered
window shutterboard. The way it was wrapped around
the board indicated that someonehad been using it to carry the
shutter. The left fingerprint was
(14:32):
identified to be James Larry Cosby's, Brittany's father.
At the very least, officers now realized that he was involved in
the disposal of the two women's bodies.
When homicide investigators arrived at the Cosby residence,
James Larry Cosby was not there.He was attending a vigil for his
(14:55):
daughter and her girlfriend. There was a caretaker at the
house looking after Brittany's grandmother.
Officers asked her if she had noticed anything unusual or
strange lately that it happened at the house.
The woman told them that she found a bizarre how the carport
had been recently cleaned to thepoint of being spotless.
(15:18):
As officers looked around the area of the carport, one of them
noticed 4 bricks sitting at the end of the wheelchair ramp.
This was puzzling to the detective.
When he lifted the bricks, the cement was exposed and showed 4
tiny drops of blood and investigators now entered the
(15:41):
Cosby residence. They looked around the rooms and
noticed some signs of a strugglehaving taken place.
When they lifted the carpet, several large areas of blood
were present. Pieces of carpet had also been
strategically placed over the blood stains in an obvious
attempt to conceal them. When luminol was sprayed in the
(16:04):
living room, which had been madeinto James Cosby's bedroom, it
lit up everywhere, showing wherethe blood had been.
Homicide detectives went to the local church where the vigil for
the two women were being held tobring in James Larry Cosby.
Once the vigil had ended, sheriff's investigators
approached Britney's father and asked him to come down to the
(16:27):
station with them to answer someadditional questions.
When asked to describe his movements on March 6th, he said
it was just an ordinary day. The two women had gone up or
getting dressed for work and getting Zanaya ready for school.
Then the women left, but Crystal's daughter was still at
the house. He thought that maybe they had
(16:49):
just run to the corner store or something and would return
shortly. James Cosby claimed that he
never saw either of the women return and that he was at home
all evening long. Detectives point blank asked him
where the vehicle was. He replied that he couldn't help
them because he didn't know where it was.
(17:09):
A buckle swab was taken and his cell phone seized.
Cell phone records showed that James Cosby had called a woman
by the name of Kimberly Pierce multiple times on the day of the
murders. When Kimberly Pierce was brought
in for questioning, she was driving a white Hyundai Sonata,
the vehicle which appeared to bean exact match to the Sonata
(17:33):
scene on the surveillance video.Kimberly Parrish confirmed that
she was the one driving the Sonata that morning that took AU
turn and followed the Sorrento. Kimberly said that she was in
route to see James Cosby at his house that morning, but when she
saw him drive past her in his daughter's vehicle, she turned
(17:53):
around to follow him. She claimed that the two of them
spent the day together, but thenshe left around 3:00 to pick up
her children from school. Detectives had no reason to
believe Kimberly Pierce had played any role in the women's
deaths or the dumping of their bodies.
One month passed without any additional movement on the
(18:13):
investigation and FBI cell phoneanalysts reported to
investigators that James Cosby'sphone shot how his movements on
the day the women disappeared took him from Houston, traveling
down to the Bolivar Peninsula and then back up to the Ritz, a
strip club in Houston. On April 17th, 2014, the vehicle
(18:35):
had finally been located. The Kia Sorento had been parked
at the strip club in Houston after the bodies have been
dumped in Port Bolivar and was later towed by the club's owner
to a lot. Police first tested the vehicles
headlights. The driver said the driver side
headlight was not working. Then officers open the trunk.
(19:00):
Inside the Hatch of the Sorrentowas a bloodbath.
There was blood everywhere. By the luggage rack, officers
discovered a bullet. There were fibers around the
bullet that were consistent withthe hair weave that Crystal
Jackson had been wearing the dayher body was found.
(19:22):
The bullet was found on the trunk side of the backside,
which indicated that the tailgate must have been opened
when the bullet was fired. This LED homicide detectives to
believe that Crystal Jackson wasmurdered outside the vehicle
under the carport. Crime scene analysts also
determined that cigarette butts left inside the vehicle matched
(19:45):
the DNA of James Larry Cosby. Officers still needed one more
piece to complete the puzzle. They needed to talk to Crystal
Jackson's five year old daughter, Zanaya.
According to Zanaya, after she got ready for school that
morning, her mom told her to wait in the car.
(20:07):
She put on her seat belt and waited for her mom and Brittany
to arrive. As Crystal's five year old
daughter, Zanaya sat in the backseat.
Then she watched as her mom wentback inside the house, but then
she never returned. She sat inside the car, but then
(20:27):
all of a sudden she heard a sound that came from outside.
Zanaya told officers that there was a bad man there, so she hid
so he couldn't find her. Then she heard as in a boom, as
if someone was lasering someone.It was believed that while
Crystal was putting Zanaya into the car, Brittany and her father
had an altercation. The fight escalated.
(20:50):
James Cosby lost it and beat hisdaughter to death.
Crystal had suddenly re entered the house and witnessed the
scene. She ran to the side of the house
to escape him, but he caught up with her, shooting Crystal in
the head. In June 2015, James Larry Cosby,
(21:11):
then 46, was charged with capital murder for the first
degree deaths of 24 year old Brittany Cosby and 24 year old
Crystal Jackson. He pleaded not guilty.
His murder trial would begin thefollowing June.
His defense counsel did their best to poke holes and conjured
out into the jurors minds. They pointed out their client
(21:36):
had willingly sat with detectives speaking with them
for more than six hours. James Cosby's attorney also
addressed how the prosecution did not present any evidence as
to where Crystal Jackson had been murdered.
Attorney Greg Russell asked how the defendant could be convicted
of capital murder when the requirements were not met,
(21:58):
setting how there was no evidence of a murder weapon and
there was no proof that the women have been killed during
the same criminal transaction. Assistant District Attorney Paul
Love stated to the jury that there was no known reason, no
motivating factor as to why the defendant murdered his daughter
and her girlfriend. However, the evidence they would
(22:22):
present to them would show how he had boxed himself into her
corner during the investigation and the truth was revealed.
The circumstantial evidence was very strong against James Larry
Cosby and after a few hours, thejury returned with their
verdict. They found him guilty of capital
(22:45):
murder. Under the Capital Murder
Sentencing Guidelines, he automatically received life
imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
A formal sentencing hearing where loved ones could provide
impact statements to the court was later held.
Crystal Jackson's father, Reverend Ivan Jackson, told the
(23:06):
media that he, along with his wife and their church family.
We're praying that James Cosby be given life without the
possibility of parole. Noting how killing him would not
bring either of the girls back, it was shared that Brittany
Cosby was utterly devoted to caring for her grandmother.
People said that she was generous and kind and would have
(23:28):
helped anyone whether she knew you or not.
For Brittany, it was all about the church, her grandma, her
work, and of course, Crystal andZanaya for the ID show.
See no evil. Crystal's father, Ivan Jackson,
discussed how absolutely devastating it was to learn that
he had been a suspect in his daughter's murder.
(23:51):
They may not have seen eye to eye on her relationship with
Brittany, but he loved his little girl dearly and it was
the worst day of his life when he lost her.
The only thing that kept him going that day and since then
have been holding on tight to his granddaughter Sanaya.
(24:14):
It is important to discuss this case through two different
lenses. One, who the victims were and
their likelihood of becoming a victim of violence.
Secondly, who the offender was, the specific type of murder he
committed, and what his motivation may have been.
Brittany Cosby and Crystal Jackson were both young black
(24:34):
gay women. Their age, race, and sexual
identity placed them at an extremely high risk of becoming
victims. They were both very vulnerable
to becoming a statistic of violent crime.
Violence against the LGBTQ community has existed at least
(24:56):
since its documentation of recorded crimes aimed toward
them during the 1960s, when the movement really began to gain
momentum. Violent crimes across the
country have significantly declined in recent years, and at
least on the surface, tolerance and acceptance of the LGBTQ
community has greatly increased.Yet the crime data shows the
(25:20):
opposite to be true. The recent push back against
LGBTQ rights and protections andlegislations has only escalated
the violence committed against them.
Hate crimes have greatly increased in the last several
years. The FBI reported that in 2020,
three 2402 incidents were reportedly related to sexual
(25:42):
orientation, which was up from 1947 incidents the year before.
Hate crimes have only continued to rise over the last four
years. Crime data shows that one in
five hate crimes are anti LGBTQ.Data collected from the 2022 and
(26:03):
2023 National Crime Victimization Survey showed that
people who identify as LGBTQ arefive times more likely to become
victims of violent crime than those who are non LGBTQ
identifying. They are 9 times more likely to
experience violent hate crimes. Non whites face an even higher
(26:26):
chance of being victims, with black LGBTQ individuals being
the highest risk group, followedby Hispanics and then whites.
To put this in perspective, the rate of victimization for
someone who is non LGBTQ is 21.1per 1000.
For those who identify as being LGBTQ, it is 106.4.
(26:53):
Black LGBTQ identify individualswere victimized almost two times
the amount at a rate of 204.8 per 1000.
Hispanics were victimized at 120.8 and whites at 83.7.
The National Crime VictimizationSurvey is different than crime
(27:14):
data statistics that are gathered by the FBI.
These surveys are conducted anonymously throughout
households in the United States where any person who is 12 years
or older can participate. This includes reporting property
and violent crimes they experience, whether or not they
have reported them to the police.
They are conducted by representatives of the US Census
(27:36):
Bureau, either by phone or in person.
The reason why NCVS, or NationalCrime Victimization Survey and
similar methods for the analysisof crime data are so critical to
understanding the serious risk the LGBTQ community in
particular faces is that many police agencies don't even
(27:58):
report these crimes. Further, what exactly
constitutes a hate crime varies from state to state.
The reporting of data is wildly inconsistent from state to
state, leading to unreliable information.
Alabama reported only 9 bias motivated incidents, whereas
Kentucky reported 379, although both states are located in the
(28:22):
South and have similar populations and demographics.
Hawaii collects his own crime data, so they aren't even
included in the FBI report, but they claim to have only three
incidents. More than half of the country
states reported less than 10 hate crimes that targeted LGBTQ
identifying individuals, with four states claiming they had
(28:45):
none. 31 states also claimed they had none which targeted
trans or gender nonconforming individuals.
California reported the highest incidence of all.
This is not a reflection of their having more hate crimes
against the LGBTQ community, butthey are likely more transparent
with the data they record and receive since they have a higher
(29:07):
investment in protecting that community.
The crime rate was highest in DC, which has a very large
community of LGBTQ people with an overall small population when
compared with larger cities. Seattle had the highest
incidence yet. According to the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, which has its own annual self reporting
(29:29):
survey on victimization, there are more than 200,000 victims of
hate crimes every year. Now whether Brittany Cosby and
Crystal Jackson were murdered for being gay is unknown.
This crime has been painted in the media as an anti LGBTQ crime
but I don't see any particular evidence that it was.
(29:53):
There are some news articles that state that some families
claim that James Cosby didn't like his daughter being in a
relationship with a woman and that he ridiculed her for it.
However, the information within most news sources surrounding
this case were so unreliable andinconsistent that I wouldn't be
surprised if they had mixed up James Cosby's statements of
(30:17):
disapproval with Crystal Jackson's father, Ivan Jackson,
as some had mixed up how the women had even been killed.
What is known is that James Larry Cosby committed paternal
philicide and it is critical to view the crime through this
specific type of family murder. In an attempt to understand the
(30:40):
motivation or reason behind it. The academic journal Forensic
Science International presented them first comprehensive
statistical analysis on philicide cases in the United
States. Looking at 32 years of data,
which included more than 15,000 arrests, they identified
characteristics and patterns of this particular kind of family
(31:02):
homicide. It found that similar to many
beliefs regarding crime, biased coverage and narrow studies help
to perpetuate stereotypes and false understandings.
The majority of cases covered inthe media involving the act of
philoside are when a parent kills an infant or younger
child. However, the risk of phylicide
(31:24):
exists throughout a child's lifespan, and it doesn't just
disappear because they grow older.
Studies show that approximately 1 in five children murdered by
their parents is an adult. It was first believed that women
were overwhelmingly the offenders of infanticide to find
(31:44):
as killing a child under one years of age, but the data
showed that men were just as likely to commit the crime.
For children over one years old,but especially in cases where
the victims were adults, male offenders were grossly
overrepresented. They were the offenders and
78.3% of these cases. Regarding who the victims are,
(32:06):
male children have a slightly greater chance of becoming
victims of female children do, with males representing 58.3% of
the victims. In these cases.
Fathers who murdered their sons are the most common relationship
scenario, representing 29.5%. Mothers represent the offender
in 22.1% of adult filocyte cases.
(32:30):
Fathers who murdered their daughters were the rarest
relationship scenario at 18.1%. Based on the minimal degree
differences between these offender to victim
relationships, I think it is safe to say that sons and
daughters are pretty much equally at risk of being killed
by either their father or mother, if not both.
(32:53):
Contrary to popular belief, stepchildren face a
significantly lower chance of being victims of philicide.
Stepchildren only made-up 11% ofall cases of philicide, and
especially when it came to crimes involving female
offenders. Analysis of these cases show
that stepmothers murder their male stepchildren in .5% of
(33:17):
incidents and .3% involve stepdaughters.
When you consider that 10 to 20%of children in the United States
live with a stepparent, this is an interesting and startling
fact. The prevalence of killing
methods greatly vary based on the age of the child.
(33:38):
By far the most commonly used method in the murder of children
was described as being personal weapons which involved the
beating, choking or drowning of a child.
In particular, for victims who were infants, this is how 69% of
them were killed. The older a child becomes,
different methods tend to be employed, but especially the use
(33:59):
of firearms for adult victims. Parents shot their children in
72.3% of cases. Studies find that men were way
more likely to employ a gun in the Commission of the ACT than
women were. What are described as contact
weapons, such as a bat or an edged weapon like a knife, were
(34:19):
the rarest type of method used. The average age of a parent who
committed adult phylicide was 51years old, with half of the
parents between 41 and 60. The typology of offenders of
paternal versus maternal phylicide share some
similarities as they are both based upon Resnick's
(34:40):
classification. Just in case any of my listeners
don't recall or for those who aren't aware of what these
include, this classification system includes altruism, mental
state such as psychosis, unwanted child, spousal revenge,
and accidental philoside. Psychiatrist Scott later
(35:00):
developed a classification of different motivations or
triggers that may help to explain what led up to the
killing. These five categories of
triggers include abuse, mental state, retaliation, having an
unwanted child, and altruism. Unlike in almost all other kinds
of crime, especially those concerning homicide, where there
(35:22):
has been minimal research regarding females as violent
offenders, studies on male offenders of philicide are
extremely limited. What has been discovered,
though, appears to have important differences.
Scholars Bourget and Bradford were the first to classify
paternal philicide, which helpedestablish the importance of
(35:43):
gender differences in the crime.Similar to many women who commit
philicide, male offenders are frequently undereducated and in
a lower socioeconomic class. Studies also show that more than
half of male offenders suffer from major depressive disorder
or some degree of psychosis. Unlike women who commit fellow
(36:06):
side, however, male perpetratorscommonly have criminal
backgrounds, including violent crimes and histories of
substance abuse. Fathers who murder their
children tend to use more violent methods than mothers,
specifically killing them through the use of firearms and
knives. The significance of major life
stressors have been recorded as being present in most cases of
(36:31):
paternal philicide, including financial stress or economic
problems, relationship problems such as the ending of a
marriage, and social isolation. Several cases also indicated
that the motivation stemmed fromthe need to control their
children's behavior. The motivation of maternal
felicide I have discussed before, but they tend to be more
(36:53):
altruistic in nature than not. That is, in the twisted mind of
the mother who kills her children, she believes, usually
via hallucinogenic command, thatit is in the best interest of
the child for them to die. In stark contrast, the study
motivations of fathers who kill their children have shown that
(37:14):
they derive from a place of negative emotion toward their
life and their child. This kind of murderers often
rooted in rage, jealousy, relationship conflicts and all
around life's distress. They blame their children and
often the mother for their failures, their lack of
happiness, and all around dissatisfaction with their life
(37:38):
and act out in this rage. The crime is not necessarily
premeditated more by fathers than mothers, but when men snap
and murder their children, they often engage in much more
violent ways. In the case of Brittany Cosby,
it is difficult to apply a motivation or trigger to her
(37:59):
father killing her because the reason behind why he murdered
her is still unclear. This case has been placed within
the framework of an anti LGBTQ crime, but I am not certain that
it is. It is important to realize that
just because Brittany and Crystal were in a gay
(38:19):
relationship, it doesn't necessarily mean that this was
the primary reason they were murdered.
I am not sure if it was a factorat all.
In the documentary I Loved My Daughter, it has addressed how
it was Crystal Jackson's father who was the police's primary
suspect because he openly disapproved of her sexual
(38:42):
identity and especially her relationship with Brittany
Cosby. Not at any time during this
documentary was it even implied by her Aunt Ebony or anyone in
her life that Brittany's father had any issue with her being a
lesbian. The homicide detectives never
(39:05):
brought up this point and in fact discussed how they believed
James Larry Cosby was envious ofhis daughter's life, especially
her relationship. His motivation for killing her
was likely from a place of jealousy, rage, and
dissatisfaction over his own pathetic existence, rather than
(39:29):
over her being in love with a woman.
So who was James Larry Cosby? He was a convicted sex offender,
he was a career criminal with multiple assault and weapons
charges, and he was a worthless absentee father and son.
In 1994, James Larry Cosby was convicted of sexually assaulting
(39:53):
a 22 year old woman. He was given 10 years in prison,
for which he served his full sentence.
When he was released on parole in 2004, he violated rules under
the requirement of his sex offender status and was
subsequently sent back to prison.
He had only been released from prison since October of 2013.
(40:15):
James Larry Cosby was unemployed, leaching off his
elderly mother and daughter at their home in Houston.
One of the traits of studied psychopathy and similar violent
offenders has been parasitic behaviour.
These kinds of individuals don'twant to earn anything for
themselves. They are not willing to work
(40:37):
hard in life or make sacrifices for others.
Rather, this type of person chooses to benefit from others
efforts rather than contributing.
I think James Larry Cosby was a psychopath in the most classic
antisocial definition. The initial reaction James Cosby
expressed in front of police when he heard the news about his
(40:58):
daughter's death was just one sign of his psychopathy.
He appeared shocked and feigned grief, crying, which was
witnessed by both his mother andthe detective.
Forensic psychologists have noted that one of the telling
signs of being a psychopath is mimicking emotion rather than
(41:20):
having genuine feelings. On the night he was arrested,
James Larry Cosby had been witness giving an emotional
speech during a vigil for the women at a local Funeral Home,
according to ATV Station. Addressing the community
gathered there, he said in a quote.
You can't really put something like this into words.
(41:42):
James Cosby continued to play the role of a grieving father
even though he had brutally slain his daughter and her
girlfriend, drove around for hours with her bodies in the
vehicle, and then threw them behind a dumpster like garbage.
His words were meaningless because his actions after he
(42:03):
killed them truly revealed his inner monster.
He had no true feelings for anyone or anything to be able to
treat his daughter's body in such a disrespectful manner.
Here was this almost middle-agedman with a long rap record
recently out on parole, living with his disabled elderly mother
(42:27):
and his daughter who happened tobe employed and was in a happy,
positive relationship. James Cosby had done nothing to
help her grow or prosper into the strong, beautiful woman
Brittany Cosby became. He was a loser and likely saw
(42:47):
himself as a victim in life, anda combination of these factors
made him snap and kill his daughter.
Only he and Brittany know what was specifically discussed.
That day though, culminated in her murder and that of her
girlfriends. Was he stealing from her or the
(43:09):
grandmother? Did he dare judge her and she
put him in his place? How is it possible that the
grandmother never heard or saw anything that day?
Was she not there that morning? No one heard Brittany struggle
and scream for her life. What about the neighbors?
(43:29):
No one saw him run out into the carport and shoot an innocent
woman in broad daylight. It was never addressed in the
documentary how after Zanaya witnessed the shooting of her
mother that day, how long did she stay hidden in SUV?
Did she remain in there all day while he hung out with Kimberly
(43:51):
Pierce for an alibi? There are many questions I have
surrounding this case that remain unanswered.
The lack of interest and care for LGBTQ victims and women of
color are reflected in this lackof information around these
(44:12):
women's murders. If it wasn't for this
documentary done by Idi would have been left with almost
nothing but holes in the investigation and presumptions
of motivation by the offender. Many of the news articles I read
even claimed that it was Brittany who was shot in Crystal
had been the one viciously bludgeoned to death, not the
(44:36):
other way around, which is how the women were killed.
What really struck me about thiscase?
Worst investigators. In countless cases and stories
of true crime. There are many criticisms
justifiably surrounding the incompetence, tunnel vision,
(44:57):
lack of integrity, and all around compassion shown by many
police officers. This case was the complete
opposite. It shouldn't be impressive to
read and hear about the amazing job the Galveston County
detectives did because that should be the norm.
(45:21):
Sadly, it is not. But in this case, the victims
were treated with equal respect and priority as anyone else
would have been. The investigators looked into
every possible lead and suspect.They used the limited evidence
they gathered to their advantageand took these two women's
(45:46):
deaths very seriously. They cared about searching for
the truth behind these two brutal, senseless murders and
bringing these women's killers to justice.
Brittany Cosby and Crystal Jackson were buried at Houston
Memorial Gardens in Purland. Crystal Jackson's father, Ivan,
(46:08):
was granted full custody of his granddaughter Zanaya.
The main homicide detective on Crystal and Brittany's case
created a very tight bond with the Jackson family during the
investigation and after sharing in their devastating loss.
(46:29):
He has maintained a strong connection with the family over
the years and even became Zanaya's godfather.
The love these two young women shared will forever be reflected
and the life of Crystal's littlegirl and those who loved them.
(46:51):
Thank you so much for listening to the Heartbreaking case of
Brittany Cosby and Crystal Jackson.
If you have any questions, comments, ideas for future
episodes, I would love to hear from you.
You can find my contact information in the episode
(47:11):
description. Until next time, stay safe and
watch over Shades of Murder happening in the streets next
door, especially inside your ownhome.
Shades of Murder is created, researched, written and edited.
(47:36):
Violeta Caldwell, original MusicStranger composed by stereo
code.
On the morning of March 7th, 2014, around 7:45 AM, 911
operators received a disturbing call.
It was from a clerk working at Fisherman's Cove Food Mart in
Port Blvd. Texas.
The guy who delivered Budweiser products to the store had gone
behind the dumpster to dispose of some trash when he came
across a horrific scene. He hurried back into the shop
(00:26):
and told the man behind the counter that there were two
bodies by the dumpster and that he should contact the police.
He said that before he calls though, to please go and check
to make sure they aren't just mannequins.
The clerk quickly confirmed uponreturning they were not
mannequins. Who were these victims and who
(00:51):
was the monster who had murderedthem?
And threw them out like trash. Hello and welcome to Shades of
(01:11):
Murder. In this podcast, I discuss cases
of murder from around the world and throughout history,
attempting to unravel the layersof darkness that help make
humans kind of monsters. Please be forewarned that each
episode contains specific and attimes very graphic and
(01:34):
disturbing details of the case. This show is not intended for
all audiences and listener discretion is strongly advised.
Homicide detectives promptly headed to the location of Port
Bolivar, a community on the northern shore of the Bolivar
Peninsula that is separated fromthe island of Galveston, TX by
(01:56):
the entrance to Galveston Bay. The route most people take there
is via the ferry, which takes approximately 18 minutes.
When officers arrived on the scene, they appeared to be one
female and 1 male, both deceased.
The first victim appeared to be shot in the head and the other
had their head wrapped up in a sheet.
(02:17):
The individual, believed to be amale, wore military style boots,
dark jeans, and was wearing boxers underneath.
When they removed the sheet, they realized that victim #2 was
also a female. The second woman had been struck
multiple times by a blunt force object to her skull.
There was no sign of any sexual assault.
(02:38):
It was obvious that rage had been present during the
Commission of these two murders.Yet there was very little blood
found at the crime scene. There was no blood spatter that
you would expect from a gunshot wound.
It was clear that the women had not been murdered at the
location of the convenience store.
(03:00):
Crime scene investigators went over every section near where
the women's bodies were found, hoping to find a clue.
There was a piece of a house, possibly window shutters, that
were blood stained. Near their bodies was also a
letter addressed to someone named Brittany Cosby with an
(03:21):
address in Houston, which was about 50 miles away.
Using the address on the letter,homicide detectives drove to the
residence to see if a Brittany Cosby had lived there.
Upon their arrival, they immediately observed that a
window shutter was missing. The shutter appeared to be
identical to the one located at the crime scene.
(03:45):
An elderly woman answered the door.
She identified herself as Annie Lee Cosby.
The woman confirmed that yes, Brittany lived there and that
she was her granddaughter. When detectives entered the home
and looked around, they saw photos of the woman whom they
knew now was one of the victims.Now they had to break the
(04:10):
horrible tragic news to this feeble old woman, this 92 year
old woman who was an amputee in a wheelchair, that her beloved
granddaughter had been murdered.According to her, the day before
the two women had left for work and that was the last time she
had seen either one of them. The grandmother pulled at
(04:32):
pictures of the two women on herphone who were a couple.
She said Brittany's girlfriend was named Crystal Jackson.
Shortly afterwards, an older manarrived at the house.
He immediately asked what was going on.
When officers asked if he was Brittany Cosby's father, the man
confirmed that he was and then officers told him that his
(04:52):
daughter was found dead. That man broke down in tears
asking what had happened. The main officer, who was a
father himself, sympathized withwhat the man must be
experiencing. When asked what vehicle the
women drove since the car was missing, it was described as a
2006 two toned grey Kia Sorento.Officers asked Brittany's father
(05:18):
if the couple had any known enemies, to which he simply
stated no. When they mentioned to him that
they noticed one of the window shutters was missing from the
house, he claimed that he'd beenthat way for a while.
Mr. Cosby stated that the Mexicans worked around the house
and that Pepe, the yard man, would have been the last one to
(05:38):
have seen the boards. When Galveston PD inquired with
the clerk inside the conveniencestore if they recognize the
victims, the person recalled maybe seen them a few days
before. When detectives watched the
surveillance footage of the convenience store, they saw a
woman enter around the time it was believed the two women had
been there. Both victims had been petite
(06:02):
women and this woman on camera was not.
No one else was seen on the video.
When they viewed the camera footage of the parking lot, they
hoped to see a vehicle in view, but unfortunately no vehicle was
seen that fit the description. Their first lead had led to
nothing. A BOLO was placed in the system
(06:23):
and a search was conducted for Crystal Jackson.
The results returned a license that positively identified her
as being the second homicide victim.
They obtained an address from her license.
When an older man answered the door, he identified himself as
Mr. Ivan Jackson, Crystal's father.
(06:43):
That man told officers that Crystal and her daughter lived
there with him and his wife. When he was told about his
daughter's murder, he broke downsobbing right there in front of
the officers telling them, and Iquote, I told Crystal that
Brittany was trouble. Crystal's father was a local
preacher at a church, and he didnot hide his unhappiness or
(07:07):
disapproval about his daughter'ssexual identity.
Ivan Jackson was particularly unhappy that Crystal was
involved with Brittany Cosby, although he never specified as
to why he didn't like her. Ivan Jackson claimed that he'd
been doing his best to accept itbecause he left his daughter.
(07:29):
The man also owned a semi automatic gun.
Crystal's father, Ivan Jackson, now appeared to be a strong
potential suspect. Investigators second lead was to
visit the yardman Pepe. When officers arrived at his
residence, the man who identified himself as Pepe was
much older and more feeble than they had expected.
(07:53):
He walked with a cane. It was obvious that he was not.
Their double homicide suspect. Brittany Cosby's aunt Ebony
Mcdade happened to go on to Facebook before heading out for
a concert that night. The same day the women's bodies
were found, there were multiple messages from people on her
Facebook page saying that they thought her niece and her
(08:16):
girlfriend might be dead. Ebony went to the Channel 13
website and was shocked to see the faces of her young niece,
Brittany and her girl from Crystal plastered on the front
page. She immediately called her
brother James and said she was on her way over.
Ebony was filled with sadness, confusion and rage when she
(08:41):
arrived at the Cosby residence. She held her grieving brother in
her arms tight, comforting him the best she could happening.
Mcdade desperately needed to know who had killed her niece
and her girlfriend. When investigators interviewed
(09:01):
Crystal Jackson's father, Ivan, he said that he loved his
daughter. He told detectives that he had
done his best to raise her right, but somewhere along the
way she had fallen to the wrong side.
He simply stated to the police that he didn't like her changing
her sexual orientation, but there was nothing he could do to
(09:22):
change her. Ivan Jackson said that he knew
that lesbian stuff would get herinto trouble.
It would be her end. He made it quite clear that he
was not OK with her being gay, and then it was a point of
contention and conflict between him and his daughter.
(09:43):
Ivan Jackson remained a strong potential suspect in the eyes of
law enforcement. Autopsy results returned on the
two women's bodies. They revealed that Brittany
Cosby had been struck five timeson the back of the head with a
blunt force instrument splittingher skull, and she had also been
choked. Crystal Jackson had a gunshot
(10:05):
wound to the side of her head with an exit wound.
Detectives believe that whoever killed the women wanted to get
rid of Crystal quickly. However, the brutal nature of
the injuries Brittany had endured let investigators
believe her death had been much more personal.
This had them refocus their efforts on who held rage towards
(10:28):
Brittany Cosby and why. Detectives began to investigate
the route the perpetrators wouldhave taken from Houston to Port
Bolivar where the ferry had likely been used.
They contacted the ferry managerwho confirmed that on the
evening before the bodies were discovered, a 2006 Kia Sorento
had travelled on the ferry. The manifest stated that at 9:18
(10:51):
PM, the Kia crossed over and that exact time the ferry
surveillance shows a 2 tone greyKia Sorento arriving.
But officers couldn't see insidethe windows to verify who was
driving the vehicle. They went back to the footage
and watched the time the Kia landed on the ferry at 9:13 PM,
(11:13):
it was observed that the driver's side headlight was out.
This could help them find the vehicle.
Then, when the security guard was talking to the driver, the
person suddenly stepped out of the car.
The camera was too far away, unfortunately, to make a clear
identification, but the person appeared to be male in build and
(11:34):
height. The individual towered over the
vehicle. Officers next interviewed the
security guard at the ferry. She remembered that it was an
older black man who had been well groomed.
She also noticed that the man didn't seem to be familiar with
the vehicle. The security guard helped
(11:56):
officers sketch an image of the driver.
Unfortunately, when the sketch was done, the image failed to
match either Ivan Jackson or James Cosby.
Police were completely lost on who they should be looking for.
Then, officers decided to take acloser look at the autopsy
report. It specifically said that
(12:17):
Crystal Jackson had been shot with a high caliber firearm,
which did not match the 25 caliber gun that her father,
Ivan Jackson owned. At that point in the
investigation, the police prettymuch ruled him out as the
perpetrator of this vicious double slain homicide.
Detectives were growing increasingly more frustrated and
(12:40):
they were stumped by who had killed these two young women.
Every suspect and theory they came up with was shut down as
soon as it came up and they weregetting nowhere with a case.
Officers learned that Brittany was employed at Starbucks.
When they talked to her manager,they said she never showed up
(13:02):
for her shift that day, which was very unlike her.
Now. Detectives could work within the
time window from the last time she was seen at her house to
when her vehicle arrived on the ferry, so they began looking for
any surveillance footage around her residence and the
neighborhood. A local liquor store had
(13:23):
surveillance footage that covered the street that Brittany
would have travelled on. At 7:48 AM on March 6th, they
see her vehicle drive past the camera.
Then a white sedan that had beenparked on the side of the road
makes a sudden U-turn and follows the Sorrento.
The vehicle was identified as a white Hyundai Sonata.
(13:47):
But who was driving the car and why were they following these
women? Around 12 hours later, at 7:43
PM, what appears to be a Kia Sorento pulls up and parks at
the same corner. The car had been coming from the
direction of Brittany Cosby's residence and was now headed in
(14:09):
the direction of Galveston. Detective Kilburn received
evidence returned from the crimelab.
It was a fingerprint that had been lifted from a piece of
paper that had been wrapped around the blood spattered
window shutterboard. The way it was wrapped around
the board indicated that someonehad been using it to carry the
shutter. The left fingerprint was
(14:32):
identified to be James Larry Cosby's, Brittany's father.
At the very least, officers now realized that he was involved in
the disposal of the two women's bodies.
When homicide investigators arrived at the Cosby residence,
James Larry Cosby was not there.He was attending a vigil for his
(14:55):
daughter and her girlfriend. There was a caretaker at the
house looking after Brittany's grandmother.
Officers asked her if she had noticed anything unusual or
strange lately that it happened at the house.
The woman told them that she found a bizarre how the carport
had been recently cleaned to thepoint of being spotless.
(15:18):
As officers looked around the area of the carport, one of them
noticed 4 bricks sitting at the end of the wheelchair ramp.
This was puzzling to the detective.
When he lifted the bricks, the cement was exposed and showed 4
tiny drops of blood and investigators now entered the
(15:41):
Cosby residence. They looked around the rooms and
noticed some signs of a strugglehaving taken place.
When they lifted the carpet, several large areas of blood
were present. Pieces of carpet had also been
strategically placed over the blood stains in an obvious
attempt to conceal them. When luminol was sprayed in the
(16:04):
living room, which had been madeinto James Cosby's bedroom, it
lit up everywhere, showing wherethe blood had been.
Homicide detectives went to the local church where the vigil for
the two women were being held tobring in James Larry Cosby.
Once the vigil had ended, sheriff's investigators
approached Britney's father and asked him to come down to the
(16:27):
station with them to answer someadditional questions.
When asked to describe his movements on March 6th, he said
it was just an ordinary day. The two women had gone up or
getting dressed for work and getting Zanaya ready for school.
Then the women left, but Crystal's daughter was still at
the house. He thought that maybe they had
(16:49):
just run to the corner store or something and would return
shortly. James Cosby claimed that he
never saw either of the women return and that he was at home
all evening long. Detectives point blank asked him
where the vehicle was. He replied that he couldn't help
them because he didn't know where it was.
(17:09):
A buckle swab was taken and his cell phone seized.
Cell phone records showed that James Cosby had called a woman
by the name of Kimberly Pierce multiple times on the day of the
murders. When Kimberly Pierce was brought
in for questioning, she was driving a white Hyundai Sonata,
the vehicle which appeared to bean exact match to the Sonata
(17:33):
scene on the surveillance video.Kimberly Parrish confirmed that
she was the one driving the Sonata that morning that took AU
turn and followed the Sorrento. Kimberly said that she was in
route to see James Cosby at his house that morning, but when she
saw him drive past her in his daughter's vehicle, she turned
(17:53):
around to follow him. She claimed that the two of them
spent the day together, but thenshe left around 3:00 to pick up
her children from school. Detectives had no reason to
believe Kimberly Pierce had played any role in the women's
deaths or the dumping of their bodies.
One month passed without any additional movement on the
(18:13):
investigation and FBI cell phoneanalysts reported to
investigators that James Cosby'sphone shot how his movements on
the day the women disappeared took him from Houston, traveling
down to the Bolivar Peninsula and then back up to the Ritz, a
strip club in Houston. On April 17th, 2014, the vehicle
(18:35):
had finally been located. The Kia Sorento had been parked
at the strip club in Houston after the bodies have been
dumped in Port Bolivar and was later towed by the club's owner
to a lot. Police first tested the vehicles
headlights. The driver said the driver side
headlight was not working. Then officers open the trunk.
(19:00):
Inside the Hatch of the Sorrentowas a bloodbath.
There was blood everywhere. By the luggage rack, officers
discovered a bullet. There were fibers around the
bullet that were consistent withthe hair weave that Crystal
Jackson had been wearing the dayher body was found.
(19:22):
The bullet was found on the trunk side of the backside,
which indicated that the tailgate must have been opened
when the bullet was fired. This LED homicide detectives to
believe that Crystal Jackson wasmurdered outside the vehicle
under the carport. Crime scene analysts also
determined that cigarette butts left inside the vehicle matched
(19:45):
the DNA of James Larry Cosby. Officers still needed one more
piece to complete the puzzle. They needed to talk to Crystal
Jackson's five year old daughter, Zanaya.
According to Zanaya, after she got ready for school that
morning, her mom told her to wait in the car.
(20:07):
She put on her seat belt and waited for her mom and Brittany
to arrive. As Crystal's five year old
daughter, Zanaya sat in the backseat.
Then she watched as her mom wentback inside the house, but then
she never returned. She sat inside the car, but then
(20:27):
all of a sudden she heard a sound that came from outside.
Zanaya told officers that there was a bad man there, so she hid
so he couldn't find her. Then she heard as in a boom, as
if someone was lasering someone.It was believed that while
Crystal was putting Zanaya into the car, Brittany and her father
had an altercation. The fight escalated.
(20:50):
James Cosby lost it and beat hisdaughter to death.
Crystal had suddenly re entered the house and witnessed the
scene. She ran to the side of the house
to escape him, but he caught up with her, shooting Crystal in
the head. In June 2015, James Larry Cosby,
(21:11):
then 46, was charged with capital murder for the first
degree deaths of 24 year old Brittany Cosby and 24 year old
Crystal Jackson. He pleaded not guilty.
His murder trial would begin thefollowing June.
His defense counsel did their best to poke holes and conjured
out into the jurors minds. They pointed out their client
(21:36):
had willingly sat with detectives speaking with them
for more than six hours. James Cosby's attorney also
addressed how the prosecution did not present any evidence as
to where Crystal Jackson had been murdered.
Attorney Greg Russell asked how the defendant could be convicted
of capital murder when the requirements were not met,
(21:58):
setting how there was no evidence of a murder weapon and
there was no proof that the women have been killed during
the same criminal transaction. Assistant District Attorney Paul
Love stated to the jury that there was no known reason, no
motivating factor as to why the defendant murdered his daughter
and her girlfriend. However, the evidence they would
(22:22):
present to them would show how he had boxed himself into her
corner during the investigation and the truth was revealed.
The circumstantial evidence was very strong against James Larry
Cosby and after a few hours, thejury returned with their
verdict. They found him guilty of capital
(22:45):
murder. Under the Capital Murder
Sentencing Guidelines, he automatically received life
imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
A formal sentencing hearing where loved ones could provide
impact statements to the court was later held.
Crystal Jackson's father, Reverend Ivan Jackson, told the
(23:06):
media that he, along with his wife and their church family.
We're praying that James Cosby be given life without the
possibility of parole. Noting how killing him would not
bring either of the girls back, it was shared that Brittany
Cosby was utterly devoted to caring for her grandmother.
People said that she was generous and kind and would have
(23:28):
helped anyone whether she knew you or not.
For Brittany, it was all about the church, her grandma, her
work, and of course, Crystal andZanaya for the ID show.
See no evil. Crystal's father, Ivan Jackson,
discussed how absolutely devastating it was to learn that
he had been a suspect in his daughter's murder.
(23:51):
They may not have seen eye to eye on her relationship with
Brittany, but he loved his little girl dearly and it was
the worst day of his life when he lost her.
The only thing that kept him going that day and since then
have been holding on tight to his granddaughter Sanaya.
(24:14):
It is important to discuss this case through two different
lenses. One, who the victims were and
their likelihood of becoming a victim of violence.
Secondly, who the offender was, the specific type of murder he
committed, and what his motivation may have been.
Brittany Cosby and Crystal Jackson were both young black
(24:34):
gay women. Their age, race, and sexual
identity placed them at an extremely high risk of becoming
victims. They were both very vulnerable
to becoming a statistic of violent crime.
Violence against the LGBTQ community has existed at least
(24:56):
since its documentation of recorded crimes aimed toward
them during the 1960s, when the movement really began to gain
momentum. Violent crimes across the
country have significantly declined in recent years, and at
least on the surface, tolerance and acceptance of the LGBTQ
community has greatly increased.Yet the crime data shows the
(25:20):
opposite to be true. The recent push back against
LGBTQ rights and protections andlegislations has only escalated
the violence committed against them.
Hate crimes have greatly increased in the last several
years. The FBI reported that in 2020,
three 2402 incidents were reportedly related to sexual
(25:42):
orientation, which was up from 1947 incidents the year before.
Hate crimes have only continued to rise over the last four
years. Crime data shows that one in
five hate crimes are anti LGBTQ.Data collected from the 2022 and
(26:03):
2023 National Crime Victimization Survey showed that
people who identify as LGBTQ arefive times more likely to become
victims of violent crime than those who are non LGBTQ
identifying. They are 9 times more likely to
experience violent hate crimes. Non whites face an even higher
(26:26):
chance of being victims, with black LGBTQ individuals being
the highest risk group, followedby Hispanics and then whites.
To put this in perspective, the rate of victimization for
someone who is non LGBTQ is 21.1per 1000.
For those who identify as being LGBTQ, it is 106.4.
(26:53):
Black LGBTQ identify individualswere victimized almost two times
the amount at a rate of 204.8 per 1000.
Hispanics were victimized at 120.8 and whites at 83.7.
The National Crime VictimizationSurvey is different than crime
(27:14):
data statistics that are gathered by the FBI.
These surveys are conducted anonymously throughout
households in the United States where any person who is 12 years
or older can participate. This includes reporting property
and violent crimes they experience, whether or not they
have reported them to the police.
They are conducted by representatives of the US Census
(27:36):
Bureau, either by phone or in person.
The reason why NCVS, or NationalCrime Victimization Survey and
similar methods for the analysisof crime data are so critical to
understanding the serious risk the LGBTQ community in
particular faces is that many police agencies don't even
(27:58):
report these crimes. Further, what exactly
constitutes a hate crime varies from state to state.
The reporting of data is wildly inconsistent from state to
state, leading to unreliable information.
Alabama reported only 9 bias motivated incidents, whereas
Kentucky reported 379, although both states are located in the
(28:22):
South and have similar populations and demographics.
Hawaii collects his own crime data, so they aren't even
included in the FBI report, but they claim to have only three
incidents. More than half of the country
states reported less than 10 hate crimes that targeted LGBTQ
identifying individuals, with four states claiming they had
(28:45):
none. 31 states also claimed they had none which targeted
trans or gender nonconforming individuals.
California reported the highest incidence of all.
This is not a reflection of their having more hate crimes
against the LGBTQ community, butthey are likely more transparent
with the data they record and receive since they have a higher
(29:07):
investment in protecting that community.
The crime rate was highest in DC, which has a very large
community of LGBTQ people with an overall small population when
compared with larger cities. Seattle had the highest
incidence yet. According to the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, which has its own annual self reporting
(29:29):
survey on victimization, there are more than 200,000 victims of
hate crimes every year. Now whether Brittany Cosby and
Crystal Jackson were murdered for being gay is unknown.
This crime has been painted in the media as an anti LGBTQ crime
but I don't see any particular evidence that it was.
(29:53):
There are some news articles that state that some families
claim that James Cosby didn't like his daughter being in a
relationship with a woman and that he ridiculed her for it.
However, the information within most news sources surrounding
this case were so unreliable andinconsistent that I wouldn't be
surprised if they had mixed up James Cosby's statements of
(30:17):
disapproval with Crystal Jackson's father, Ivan Jackson,
as some had mixed up how the women had even been killed.
What is known is that James Larry Cosby committed paternal
philicide and it is critical to view the crime through this
specific type of family murder. In an attempt to understand the
(30:40):
motivation or reason behind it. The academic journal Forensic
Science International presented them first comprehensive
statistical analysis on philicide cases in the United
States. Looking at 32 years of data,
which included more than 15,000 arrests, they identified
characteristics and patterns of this particular kind of family
(31:02):
homicide. It found that similar to many
beliefs regarding crime, biased coverage and narrow studies help
to perpetuate stereotypes and false understandings.
The majority of cases covered inthe media involving the act of
philoside are when a parent kills an infant or younger
child. However, the risk of phylicide
(31:24):
exists throughout a child's lifespan, and it doesn't just
disappear because they grow older.
Studies show that approximately 1 in five children murdered by
their parents is an adult. It was first believed that women
were overwhelmingly the offenders of infanticide to find
(31:44):
as killing a child under one years of age, but the data
showed that men were just as likely to commit the crime.
For children over one years old,but especially in cases where
the victims were adults, male offenders were grossly
overrepresented. They were the offenders and
78.3% of these cases. Regarding who the victims are,
(32:06):
male children have a slightly greater chance of becoming
victims of female children do, with males representing 58.3% of
the victims. In these cases.
Fathers who murdered their sons are the most common relationship
scenario, representing 29.5%. Mothers represent the offender
in 22.1% of adult filocyte cases.
(32:30):
Fathers who murdered their daughters were the rarest
relationship scenario at 18.1%. Based on the minimal degree
differences between these offender to victim
relationships, I think it is safe to say that sons and
daughters are pretty much equally at risk of being killed
by either their father or mother, if not both.
(32:53):
Contrary to popular belief, stepchildren face a
significantly lower chance of being victims of philicide.
Stepchildren only made-up 11% ofall cases of philicide, and
especially when it came to crimes involving female
offenders. Analysis of these cases show
that stepmothers murder their male stepchildren in .5% of
(33:17):
incidents and .3% involve stepdaughters.
When you consider that 10 to 20%of children in the United States
live with a stepparent, this is an interesting and startling
fact. The prevalence of killing
methods greatly vary based on the age of the child.
(33:38):
By far the most commonly used method in the murder of children
was described as being personal weapons which involved the
beating, choking or drowning of a child.
In particular, for victims who were infants, this is how 69% of
them were killed. The older a child becomes,
different methods tend to be employed, but especially the use
(33:59):
of firearms for adult victims. Parents shot their children in
72.3% of cases. Studies find that men were way
more likely to employ a gun in the Commission of the ACT than
women were. What are described as contact
weapons, such as a bat or an edged weapon like a knife, were
(34:19):
the rarest type of method used. The average age of a parent who
committed adult phylicide was 51years old, with half of the
parents between 41 and 60. The typology of offenders of
paternal versus maternal phylicide share some
similarities as they are both based upon Resnick's
(34:40):
classification. Just in case any of my listeners
don't recall or for those who aren't aware of what these
include, this classification system includes altruism, mental
state such as psychosis, unwanted child, spousal revenge,
and accidental philoside. Psychiatrist Scott later
(35:00):
developed a classification of different motivations or
triggers that may help to explain what led up to the
killing. These five categories of
triggers include abuse, mental state, retaliation, having an
unwanted child, and altruism. Unlike in almost all other kinds
of crime, especially those concerning homicide, where there
(35:22):
has been minimal research regarding females as violent
offenders, studies on male offenders of philicide are
extremely limited. What has been discovered,
though, appears to have important differences.
Scholars Bourget and Bradford were the first to classify
paternal philicide, which helpedestablish the importance of
(35:43):
gender differences in the crime.Similar to many women who commit
philicide, male offenders are frequently undereducated and in
a lower socioeconomic class. Studies also show that more than
half of male offenders suffer from major depressive disorder
or some degree of psychosis. Unlike women who commit fellow
(36:06):
side, however, male perpetratorscommonly have criminal
backgrounds, including violent crimes and histories of
substance abuse. Fathers who murder their
children tend to use more violent methods than mothers,
specifically killing them through the use of firearms and
knives. The significance of major life
stressors have been recorded as being present in most cases of
(36:31):
paternal philicide, including financial stress or economic
problems, relationship problems such as the ending of a
marriage, and social isolation. Several cases also indicated
that the motivation stemmed fromthe need to control their
children's behavior. The motivation of maternal
felicide I have discussed before, but they tend to be more
(36:53):
altruistic in nature than not. That is, in the twisted mind of
the mother who kills her children, she believes, usually
via hallucinogenic command, thatit is in the best interest of
the child for them to die. In stark contrast, the study
motivations of fathers who kill their children have shown that
(37:14):
they derive from a place of negative emotion toward their
life and their child. This kind of murderers often
rooted in rage, jealousy, relationship conflicts and all
around life's distress. They blame their children and
often the mother for their failures, their lack of
happiness, and all around dissatisfaction with their life
(37:38):
and act out in this rage. The crime is not necessarily
premeditated more by fathers than mothers, but when men snap
and murder their children, they often engage in much more
violent ways. In the case of Brittany Cosby,
it is difficult to apply a motivation or trigger to her
(37:59):
father killing her because the reason behind why he murdered
her is still unclear. This case has been placed within
the framework of an anti LGBTQ crime, but I am not certain that
it is. It is important to realize that
just because Brittany and Crystal were in a gay
(38:19):
relationship, it doesn't necessarily mean that this was
the primary reason they were murdered.
I am not sure if it was a factorat all.
In the documentary I Loved My Daughter, it has addressed how
it was Crystal Jackson's father who was the police's primary
suspect because he openly disapproved of her sexual
(38:42):
identity and especially her relationship with Brittany
Cosby. Not at any time during this
documentary was it even implied by her Aunt Ebony or anyone in
her life that Brittany's father had any issue with her being a
lesbian. The homicide detectives never
(39:05):
brought up this point and in fact discussed how they believed
James Larry Cosby was envious ofhis daughter's life, especially
her relationship. His motivation for killing her
was likely from a place of jealousy, rage, and
dissatisfaction over his own pathetic existence, rather than
(39:29):
over her being in love with a woman.
So who was James Larry Cosby? He was a convicted sex offender,
he was a career criminal with multiple assault and weapons
charges, and he was a worthless absentee father and son.
In 1994, James Larry Cosby was convicted of sexually assaulting
(39:53):
a 22 year old woman. He was given 10 years in prison,
for which he served his full sentence.
When he was released on parole in 2004, he violated rules under
the requirement of his sex offender status and was
subsequently sent back to prison.
He had only been released from prison since October of 2013.
(40:15):
James Larry Cosby was unemployed, leaching off his
elderly mother and daughter at their home in Houston.
One of the traits of studied psychopathy and similar violent
offenders has been parasitic behaviour.
These kinds of individuals don'twant to earn anything for
themselves. They are not willing to work
(40:37):
hard in life or make sacrifices for others.
Rather, this type of person chooses to benefit from others
efforts rather than contributing.
I think James Larry Cosby was a psychopath in the most classic
antisocial definition. The initial reaction James Cosby
expressed in front of police when he heard the news about his
(40:58):
daughter's death was just one sign of his psychopathy.
He appeared shocked and feigned grief, crying, which was
witnessed by both his mother andthe detective.
Forensic psychologists have noted that one of the telling
signs of being a psychopath is mimicking emotion rather than
(41:20):
having genuine feelings. On the night he was arrested,
James Larry Cosby had been witness giving an emotional
speech during a vigil for the women at a local Funeral Home,
according to ATV Station. Addressing the community
gathered there, he said in a quote.
You can't really put something like this into words.
(41:42):
James Cosby continued to play the role of a grieving father
even though he had brutally slain his daughter and her
girlfriend, drove around for hours with her bodies in the
vehicle, and then threw them behind a dumpster like garbage.
His words were meaningless because his actions after he
(42:03):
killed them truly revealed his inner monster.
He had no true feelings for anyone or anything to be able to
treat his daughter's body in such a disrespectful manner.
Here was this almost middle-agedman with a long rap record
recently out on parole, living with his disabled elderly mother
(42:27):
and his daughter who happened tobe employed and was in a happy,
positive relationship. James Cosby had done nothing to
help her grow or prosper into the strong, beautiful woman
Brittany Cosby became. He was a loser and likely saw
(42:47):
himself as a victim in life, anda combination of these factors
made him snap and kill his daughter.
Only he and Brittany know what was specifically discussed.
That day though, culminated in her murder and that of her
girlfriends. Was he stealing from her or the
(43:09):
grandmother? Did he dare judge her and she
put him in his place? How is it possible that the
grandmother never heard or saw anything that day?
Was she not there that morning? No one heard Brittany struggle
and scream for her life. What about the neighbors?
(43:29):
No one saw him run out into the carport and shoot an innocent
woman in broad daylight. It was never addressed in the
documentary how after Zanaya witnessed the shooting of her
mother that day, how long did she stay hidden in SUV?
Did she remain in there all day while he hung out with Kimberly
(43:51):
Pierce for an alibi? There are many questions I have
surrounding this case that remain unanswered.
The lack of interest and care for LGBTQ victims and women of
color are reflected in this lackof information around these
(44:12):
women's murders. If it wasn't for this
documentary done by Idi would have been left with almost
nothing but holes in the investigation and presumptions
of motivation by the offender. Many of the news articles I read
even claimed that it was Brittany who was shot in Crystal
had been the one viciously bludgeoned to death, not the
(44:36):
other way around, which is how the women were killed.
What really struck me about thiscase?
Worst investigators. In countless cases and stories
of true crime. There are many criticisms
justifiably surrounding the incompetence, tunnel vision,
(44:57):
lack of integrity, and all around compassion shown by many
police officers. This case was the complete
opposite. It shouldn't be impressive to
read and hear about the amazing job the Galveston County
detectives did because that should be the norm.
(45:21):
Sadly, it is not. But in this case, the victims
were treated with equal respect and priority as anyone else
would have been. The investigators looked into
every possible lead and suspect.They used the limited evidence
they gathered to their advantageand took these two women's
(45:46):
deaths very seriously. They cared about searching for
the truth behind these two brutal, senseless murders and
bringing these women's killers to justice.
Brittany Cosby and Crystal Jackson were buried at Houston
Memorial Gardens in Purland. Crystal Jackson's father, Ivan,
(46:08):
was granted full custody of his granddaughter Zanaya.
The main homicide detective on Crystal and Brittany's case
created a very tight bond with the Jackson family during the
investigation and after sharing in their devastating loss.
(46:29):
He has maintained a strong connection with the family over
the years and even became Zanaya's godfather.
The love these two young women shared will forever be reflected
and the life of Crystal's littlegirl and those who loved them.
(46:51):
Thank you so much for listening to the Heartbreaking case of
Brittany Cosby and Crystal Jackson.
If you have any questions, comments, ideas for future
episodes, I would love to hear from you.
You can find my contact information in the episode
(47:11):
description. Until next time, stay safe and
watch over Shades of Murder happening in the streets next
door, especially inside your ownhome.
Shades of Murder is created, researched, written and edited.
(47:36):
Violeta Caldwell, original MusicStranger composed by stereo
code.
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