Man Accused of Racist Stabbing Could Use Insanity Defense, Lawyer Says

MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — The lawyer for the Baltimore military veteran accused of fatally stabbing a black man in Hell's Kitchen as part of a planned racially motivated murder spree could try to use an insanity defense in court.

James Harris Jackson’s attorney, Patrick Brackley, plans to file a notice stating whether he will claim his client was not guilty by reason of being mentally ill by the time Jackson is due back in court on June 15, he said at a hearing before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon Wednesday. 

Following the brief court appearance, friends and supporters of victim Timothy Caughman, 66, called the possible mental health defense “just a tactic.”

Jackson turned himself in to police on March 22, handing over a prepared confession in which he explained how he came to New York with the purpose of murdering black men and stalked several before deciding to fatally stab Caughman with a 26-inch sword near West 36th Street and Ninth Avenue, police and prosecutors said.

Hawk Newsome, the president of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, told reporters outside the courtroom that Jackson's actions were lucid, premeditated and designed to send a “clear message”  — not consistent with the behavior of a mentally ill person.

“The insanity defense shouldn’t even be an option for him,” Newsome explained. “He said he was coming to New York to hunt black men. And that’s what he came and he did.”

^{Caughman's childhood friends Portia Clark (at left) and Carl Nimmons, (right) with Black Lives Matter of Greater New York's president Hank Newsome. (DNAinfo/Maya Rajamani)}

Caughman’s childhood friend, Portia Clark, who grew up with Caughman in Jamaica, Queens, said she was “disgusted” by the murder.

She and Caughman’s friends and acquaintances hope to have a street sign put up in his honor in their old neighborhood, she said.

Caughman was an “all-around good guy” who enjoyed basketball, martial arts, meeting celebrities and working with kids, she recalled.

“Timothy was just a great guy — he was the type of guy that would help anybody,” she said.

Caughman’s friends and supporters plan to be present for Jackson’s appearance in June, Newsome added.

Last month, Jackson was indicted on charges including murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism, and murder in the second degree as a hate crime.

“We won’t let Timothy Caughman’s memory die,” Newsome said. “And we won’t stop showing up until we have justice for him.”