UPDATE: April 21 at 5 p.m.
Glenn Jackson was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Tuesday for the death of his wife, Ella Jackson, though he could be released in less than eight years with credit for time served on house arrest.
Jackson entered an Alford plea to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence. He has never admitted to killing his 47-year-old wife, whose partial skeletal remains were found six months after she vanished in October 2019. An Alford plea means a defendant acknowledges there could be sufficient evidence to convict them at trial.
During the sentencing in Madison County Circuit Court, Ella Jackson's family, including relatives in Ukraine and Russia, expressed their grief.
"There was something rare about her the way she carried herself, the way she connected with people the way she spoke. It all felt graceful warm and full of life," said her cousin, Victoria who attended virtually from Ukraine.
Ella Jackson, a Ukrainian-born mother of two, disappeared just days before relatives say she planned to take her young son and leave what they described as an abusive marriage. Her remains were later found in a remote, wooded area of Pulaski County near Jackson's lake house. How she died remains unknown.
The couple's son, who is now 12, provided a taped audio statement that was played in court.
"I had only been in kindergarten for two months when my mom was murdered. When she disappeared I did not know what had happened. I did not know my mom had been taken from me forever," the child said.
In the recorded statement, he went on to say that Jackson always told him his mother left them to go back to Ukraine.
"Now that I know the truth, that feels especially cruel. He knew exactly what he had done," stated the child.
Ella Jackson's ex-husband, Jason Hans, is now raising the boy.
"To put it bluntly as a direct result of Mr. Jackson's abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence we were left with nothing but a box of bones to bury," Hans said.
Hans shared that the child holds onto a necklace as a memento of his mother.
"That necklace - this necklace is the only tangible memento that [Ella's child] has of his mother and it's precious to him. It sets in a decorative box on his nightstand next to a photograph of Ella wearing it. Sometimes I check on him at night I find he has fallen asleep clutching that necklace," Hans said.
Both Ella Jackson's family and prosecutors expressed that justice fell short in the circumstantial case, noting there are questions the state could not answer and the defendant will not answer.
"What is happening here is not truly justice for Ella. I agree, I agree 100 percent," Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Smith said
Smith told the court that Ella Jackson's two sons were the most important thing to Jackson and added, with the plea agreement the youngest would never be subject to Glenn Jackson again, the man he no longer considers his father.
Original Story:
A former Eastern Kentucky University lecturer entered an Alford plea to manslaughter Wednesday in connection with his wife's 2019 death, avoiding a murder trial that was set to begin next week.
Glenn Jackson entered the plea to manslaughter charges in the death of his wife, Ella Jackson, who disappeared from Richmond in October 2019. The plea came more than six years after Ella Jackson vanished while walking her dog at a park near her home.
Jackson didn't admit to killing his 47-year-old wife but acknowledged there could be sufficient evidence to convict him if the case had gone to a murder trial. He also pleaded guilty to abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.
Crime
Former EKU lecturer charged with murder of his wife posts bond, court confirms
Jackson could face a maximum of 14 years in prison. However, with credit for time served on house arrest, he could be released in less than eight years.
The plea deal has been difficult for Ella Jackson's ex-husband, Jason Hans, who has been raising Glenn and Ella's young son.
"He will end up having done about 40% of his sentence sitting at his victim's house, which is incredibly frustrating," Hans said.
When Ella Jackson vanished Richmond police found it odd that her purse, cell phone and other items were left in her car and home. Relatives were suspicious from the start, saying she would never abandon her then 5-year-old son, despite her husband claiming she left on her own.
Six months later, in April 2020, Jackson was charged with murder, abuse of corpse and tampering with physical evidence. A week after his arrest, authorities found Ella's partial skeletal remains in a rural, wooded area of Pulaski County near property Jackson owned.
In court, prosecutors said the marriage was troubled and violent, with Ella Jackson's family worried about her safety before she disappeared. How she died remains unknown.
"Her death was ruled a homicide by undetermined means, although she did have a fracture to her skull," Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Smith said.
Hans said Jackson is the only person who knows what happened to his ex-wife.
"There's some evidence that he confessed to one of his best friends in December of 2019. He's denied it ever since then," Hans said.
While Hans appreciates the prosecution's work on the case, he says the outcome is bittersweet and believes true justice is proactive, not reactive.
"Justice will be protecting women and children before they're harmed, not punishing people years after they're harmed," Hans said.
Jackson will be formally sentenced in March and will remain on house arrest until then.
