VIRGINIA - Harley Joseph Jacka was overcoming odds from the moment he was born.
He entered the world on Dec. 9, 1985, weighing just 1 pound, 6 ounces. When he underwent surgery that New Year’s Eve, his family said, doctors gave him a 50-50 shot at surviving.
He pulled through that procedure - and so much else in life - up until April 28, 2014, family members recalled. That was the day he was killed inside a Virginia apartment, the victim of more than a dozen stab wounds.
“He was brutally beaten and stabbed, for what reason?” asked his birth mother, Leann Johnson. “What could he have done to deserve such a brutal death?”
Three family members spoke Monday at the sentencing of Anthony James Isham, the final of four defendants to plead guilty to charges connected to Jacka’s death.
Isham, 45, of Nett Lake, pleaded guilty Nov. 28 in State District Court to an intentional second-degree murder charge.
He admitted at the plea hearing that he stabbed Jacka three times inside the Virginia apartment. Jacka's girlfriend, Janessa Lynn Peters, earlier admitted that she arranged the killing because she was having difficulty ending their relationship.
Sixth Judicial District Judge James Florey sentenced Isham to more than 30 years in prison, accepting the recommendations of a plea agreement reached between the defendant and the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office.
Isham sat quietly listening to the victim impact statements, but declined to speak on his own behalf before receiving the sentence.
Tracy Valentine, who raised Jacka from birth, said her son was generous and always willing to lend a hand. He left behind five children.
“He loved his children and his family with all his heart,” Valentine said, “and he was everyone’s friend.”
Nicole Jacka was a niece of the victim, but said he was truly her “best friend, dad, human diary and uncle.” She described Jacka’s death as the worst thing to ever happen to her.
“I have nightmares every night,” she said. “When you took my uncle, you took part of me, too.”
Jacka was found dead in an apartment at 207 Fifth St. S. on April 29, 2014. An autopsy found that he had been stabbed approximately 15 times. Four knives were recovered at the scene.
Peters later came forward to tell police that she had asked Bartholamy Jake Drift, with whom she was also in a relationship, to kill Jacka because she wanted to break up with him.
Peters, 22, and Drift, 42, both pleaded guilty in 2015 to intentional second-degree murder charges and are awaiting sentencing.
Family members said Jacka was always hard at work, holding odd jobs, his hands always dirty.
"If anybody could fix, remodel or get something running, it was Harley," Valentine said. "He was a jack-of-all-trades.”
Adding that she has suffered severe anxiety attacks, Nicole Jacka said she “will never be happy again.”
“He was such a kindhearted person,” she said. “All he wanted was to see his friends and family happy.”
Before pronouncing the 363-month sentence, Florey acknowledged that the family will continue to struggle with the “why and how” behind the case.
“If you try to put some logic to you, it’ll never get past it,” he said. “None of it makes any sense, the taking of a human life under these circumstances.”
The judge also took a moment to speak directly to Isham.
“Like everyone here, I don’t know what was happening in that house that night,” he said. “I’m hoping you can get to an understanding of what happened that night and the harm it’s caused.”
Isham must serve at least two-thirds of the sentence - a little more than 20 years - before he is eligible for supervised release.
Isham’s case was only recently resolved after a series of unusual turns. His public defenders this spring asked to be discharged from the case, claiming their client threatened them during a courthouse meeting.
Florey granted that request and ordered that he receive a new attorney from outside the district, adding several additional months to the already prolonged proceedings. Isham has spent nearly 1,000 days in local custody.
Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Jon Holets and defense attorney Kassius Benson of Minneapolis asked Florey to accept the agreement, but did not make formal arguments at Monday’s sentencing. Both declined further comment after the hearing.
Isham was the fourth and final defendant to plead guilty in connection with Jacka's death. The case is expected to come to a close next month with the sentencings of Peters and Drift.
Peters, who will appear on Jan. 9, faces a presumptive sentence of about 27 years in prison, while Drift, who will appear on Jan. 23, faces more than 32 years.
Another defendant, John Isham, pleaded guilty in March to aiding an offender after the fact. He was later sentenced to 6½ years in prison.
