Betty Broderick went on Facebook this week and did what any mother in her position would do. She asked people to help.
Her son, 16-year-old Anthony Jackson of Ellisville, Mississippi, is sitting on a one million dollar bond after being charged with first-degree murder and ordered to stand trial as an adult.
Jackson, a sophomore at South Jones High School, is accused of killing classmate Yahir Alba on May 16 near a Texaco station on Highway 590 outside Ellisville.
The two were reportedly close friends. After a hearing at Jones County Youth Court, a judge ruled the case moves to adult court.
The Jones County Detention Center does not house juveniles adjudicated as adults, so where Jackson will be held remains unresolved.
Betty Broderick Launches the Fundraiser
Broderick’s GoFundMe, titled Stand with Anthony Jackson, is set at a goal of one hundred thousand dollars. All funds are going toward legal expenses as the family prepares to fight a first-degree murder case in adult court.
In the campaign description she called Anthony funny, outgoing, respectful, and kind-hearted.
She pointed to his football career, noting he had already picked up multiple Division I offers as a ninth grader, and said the family is now in one of the most difficult seasons of their lives. She closed it by saying no family should have to walk this road alone.
“We are asking our community to come together and stand beside Anthony during this time of need,” the GoFundMe reads. “Funds raised will help support Anthony and assist his family with mounting legal expenses and related costs as they navigate the road ahead.”
She pointed to his football career, noting he had already picked up multiple Division I offers as a ninth grader, and said the family is now in one of the most difficult seasons of their lives. She closed it by saying no family should have to walk this road alone.
“In moments like these, no family should have to walk alone. Every donation, every share, and every prayer makes a difference and reminds Anthony and his loved ones that they are surrounded by people who care.”
On the field, Jackson went by Squirrel and was already one of the most talked about freshmen running backs at South Jones.
College programs had noticed him before he even finished his first year of high school football. That profile is a big part of why this story blew up the way it did across Mississippi and beyond.
A number of people raised questions about the circumstances of the incident itself, including whether substances may have played a role in what happened that evening near Highway 590.
What has come through clearly across all of it is that Jones County is a community that knows both of these families, and that no one there is finding this easy to sit with.
Betty Broderick is not asking people to forget what her son is charged with. She is asking them to remember who he is, and to help her family survive what comes next.
The Stand with Anthony Jackson GoFundMe campaign is active and accepting donations.
