Jurors needed just 35 minutes Wednesday to convict Eric Jackson of three counts of murder by depraved heart in last summer’s shooting deaths of Denise Jackson, 25, her unborn baby boy and Preston Qualls, 25.

Warren County Circuit Judge Isadore Patrick immediately imposed the statutory sentences of life without parole and added that the terms be served consecutively.

“It is a sad day in this small community when one tragedy affects four different families,” Patrick told the defendant, who stood handcuffed before the bench. “Yours, Denise Jackson’s, Mr. Qualls’, and the Blands — this one incident changed those lives forever. Everyone lost something.”

Jackson, who is not related to Denise Jackson, heard the verdicts without expression, but after being sentenced looked back over his shoulder once at family members in the courtroom. Sheriff Martin Pace and several deputies led him away through the back door. Many of his family were in tears.

“My heart and prayers go out to the Jackson and Qualls families,” said Eric Jackson’s aunt, Evelyn Hall. “I am glad this is over with but I hate that Eric had to be responsible and have actions taken out on just him when other parties were shooting at him and it never came up in any statements or in court.”

The shootings occurred June 26 around 6 p.m. in the 2600 block of Ken Karyl Avenue. Denise Jackson, who was 4 1/2 months pregnant, lived with her three children and her grandfather, Lucius Jackson, in his home at 2634 Ken Karyl.

Marquis Bland, Denise Jackson’s fiance and the father of her unborn child, testified Wednesday that he, Preston Qualls and several other men pushed Eric Jackson from the house at 2632 Ken Karyl, the home of Bland’s mother. Eric Jackson had grabbed Bland’s 15-year-old brother by the collar and was shaking him in a dispute about a video game before the other men intervened, Bland said.

Bland testified that Eric Jackson said, “I am going to go get my scrap, and when I get back y’all better not be here.” He left and returned a short time later, standing at the top of a hill near 2620 Ken Karyl and opened fire with an AK-47.

“Eric Jackson felt that he got disrespected” in the incident, District Attorney Ricky Smith told the jury in his closing argument. “He made a point of coming back and answering” with gunfire. “He didn’t mean for those people to get killed, but they did, and as a result of his actions.”

Denise Jackson, who was inside her home trying to protect two of her children, died when a bullet entered the house, traveled through the couch and into her body in the upper chest, producing internal bleeding, an autopsy showed. Her baby died as she did.

Bland also testified that when Eric Jackson began shooting, Qualls ran in between the houses. His body was not found until the next afternoon when some construction workers discovered it behind the then-vacant home at 2630 Ken Karyl.

Qualls also died of a single gunshot wound, experts testified, and the recovered bullet and fragments from both bodies were fired from the same weapon.

Fresh shell casings from a 9-mm pistol were also found at the scene, but police did not identify any other gunman and defense attorneys did not probe the issue of who else in the group might have been firing.

“They are all packing guns,” Hall said.

The delay in discovering Qualls’ body caused embarrassment to Vicksburg police officers, Lt. Bobby Stewart testified Tuesday, but he added that even the workers who arrived there at 7 a.m. did not see the body until around 1:30 p.m.

In cross examination of Stewart and other prosecution witnesses, defense attorneys Branan Southerland and Jerry Campbell attempted to parlay that delay into reasonable doubt that Qualls had died as a result of the shootings that night. Southerland also grilled Bland on inconsistencies in his testimony when compared to statements made to police in the hours after the killings.

The lone defense witness was Vicksburg police officer Eric Proctor, one of the officers responding to the scene and the first to talk to Bland, who was distraught over the death of his fiancee and baby. Campbell questioned Proctor about Bland’s apparent failure to mention during the interview that he had seen Eric Jackson fire the rifle.

Both Southerland and Campbell declined to comment after the verdict, which was read about 4:20 p.m. Jurors began deliberating at 3:25 and court officers were notified at 4 p.m. that they had reached a decision. The case began with jury selection Monday.

“I’m very proud of the work the jury did,” Smith said. “We are very pleased with the verdict. Like Judge Patrick said, there are no winners in this case. Innocent people were killed because of Eric Jackson’s reckless actions, but we are glad to leave some justice for the families of the victims.”

“Lives have been changed forever,” said Iris Ragan, Denise Jackson’s aunt. “I’m now raising Denise’s oldest child. It’s a true blessing to have her in my home, but I just hate how it came to happen.” Denise Jackson’s other two children are with their father, Ragan said.

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Contact Pamela Hitchins at phitchins@vicksburgpost.com