A Georgia man is headed to prison for decades after he hired a woman to clean his home, then stabbed her in the eye with a screwdriver and held her against her will for hours. Ezekiel Lamar Jackson, 23, will spend the rest of his life behind prison walls after his calculated plot to trap and assault the solo female house cleaner ended with his arrest in a hospital waiting room.
Jackson pleaded guilty Thursday to all 10 charges against him, including rape, kidnapping, and aggravated battery. Chief Superior Court Judge David L. Cannon Jr. sentenced Jackson to life in prison with the possibility of parole, followed by an additional 40 years of probation under strict banishment and sex offender conditions.
The conviction stems from an April 6 attack that began under the guise of a routine digital chore. According to prosecutors, Jackson posted an ad on the neighborhood network Nextdoor looking for someone to clean his one-bedroom apartment. A cell phone search later revealed that while 15 different people or companies responded, Jackson ignored every male applicant and large business, deliberately choosing to reply only to the solo female victim.
When the woman arrived at 10 a.m. to assess the cleaning job, Jackson cornered her in the bathroom. He stabbed her in the face and eye with the small screwdriver, choked her until she neared unconsciousness, and forced her head into the counter. For the next five hours, Jackson held her captive, repeatedly sexually assaulting her and threatening her life.
Despite suffering from an orbital fracture and bleeding in her brain, the victim managed to survive by outsmarting her captor. She convinced Jackson to let her go to Northside Cherokee Hospital, promising to tell doctors that her severe facial injuries were just the result of an accidental fall. Jackson drove her to the hospital and stayed to watch her, but police arrested him directly in the waiting room after medical staff flagged the assault.
A subsequent search of the apartment uncovered a bloody towel, first-aid supplies, and the screwdriver used in the stabbing.
During the court hearing, the victim read an emotional impact statement detailing the physical and mental toll the attack has taken on her and her children.
“Evidence suggests this defendant intentionally targeted this victim because she was a woman working alone,” said Assistant District Attorney Kelly Chavis, who prosecuted the case. “He is a dangerous man, and the brutality of his actions is shocking. The victim demonstrated great courage and strength, and ultimately saved her own life in the face of such evil.”
Under the terms of his eventual probation, Jackson faces a near-total banishment from the state of Georgia, permitted only in Effingham County and near the Atlanta airport in Clayton County. He must also register as a sex offender and undergo mandatory mental health and psychosexual treatment.
“The defendant’s conduct was torturous and horrific,” District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said following the plea. “For five hours, this victim endured unimaginable violence. A sentence of life in prison is the only appropriate outcome for the deeply disturbing actions of this defendant.”
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