LOCKPORT — A Niagara Falls teen is on his way to state prison for the next 20 years following his conviction in a Lockport murder case.
Late Monday afternoon, Niagara County Court Judge Caroline Wojtaszek sentenced Charles Jackson III, 19, of the Falls, to two decades behind bars for his guilty plea to a charge of first-degree manslaughter. He was originally charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Michael Hathaway, 26, of Lockport.
Jackson, who was 17 at the time of his crime, had asked to be granted youthful offender status, which could have reduced his potential prison term.
Wojtaszek denied that request.
The denial of youthful offender status means that Jackson, who had not been publicly identified previously, under the terms of New York’s Raise the Age Law, can now be identified.
Jackson agreed to his plea deal on Jan. 27, as a weather-delayed jury selection in his trial was about to begin. In his plea, Jackson admitted to shooting Hathaway behind his Spaulding Street home on Nov. 20, 2023.
Lockport police arrested Jackson on Nov. 30, 2023, and he has been held since at a “secure juvenile lockup” in Erie County.
Detectives described the shooting as “targeted” and “not random.” Investigators have offered no other information about what may have triggered the shooting.
Police said Hathaway was a registered level-three sex offender, but also said that they did not believe his prior criminal record had anything to do with the shooting.
“Unfortunately, the defendant’s decision to use extreme violence in a situation where it was completely unnecessary cost Mr. Hathaway his life,” Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman said after the sentencing. “There was no reason for this to have been the outcome.”