Houston woman who masterminded employee’s death gets life in prison

HOUSTON (KIAH) — A Houston woman who was the mastermind behind a vicious robbery in which one of her employees was shot to death has been sentenced to life in prison, the district attorney announced.

Dinesha Renee Jackson, 28, was convicted Friday of capital murder following a five-day trial for the killing of 20-year-old Dequan Donte Anderson on Dec. 17, 2017.

Jurors took less than an hour to reach a unanimous verdict, which came with an automatic sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

“This young man was set up by his own boss and cut down just days before Christmas,” said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. “With this jury’s verdict, the defendant is headed to prison for the rest of her life and will never again harm anyone in our community.”

Anderson, who had moved from Louisiana to Houston, was a shift leader at a Dollar General store, where Jackson was an assistant manager.

The trial revealed how Jackson conspired with Kaila Alexine Nelson, who was convicted of capital murder in the case in 2020, to rob Anderson while he was transporting a money bag for the store.

The prosecutors showed evidence to try to prove that Jackson not only planned the attack but texted Nelson when Anderson had left the store. Nelson then ambushed Anderson, and emptied her 9 mm handgun at him, hitting him four times, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, at the time of the shooting, Anderson was engaged to be married and working toward one day becoming a full-time professional photographer.

Anderson’s fiancé, along with her family and his, filled the front row of the courtroom for Jackson’s trial as they had for Nelson’s trial.

Jackson was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Lynn Nguyen and Keaton Forcht.

Nguyen noted that both the Anderson family and that of his fiancé were shattered by the murder, but that five years later, they were still side by side every day of the trial.

“When people participate in violent crimes, they often don’t think about the consequences to themselves, their victim or the victim’s family,” Forcht said.

Anderson’s mother addressed Jackson in a victim-impact statement.

“I do believe that justice was served today, and I hope now that you will have the time to sit and think about what you have done,” she said.