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Mother, Son Found Dead, Murder-Suicide Suspected
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 29, 2010
Modified Jul 29, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 29, 2010
Modified Jul 29, 2010
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Yesterday, a Bronx mother and her 12-year-old autistic son were found dead, side-by-side in a bed, in their Morris Heights apartment. Because there were no signs of a forced entry and a gun was found near Micaela Jackson's hand, it's believed that Jackson shot son Kenneth Holmes and then herself. A neighbor wondered to the Daily News, "She really looked stressed out. She was so tired of screaming at him. Maybe he pushed her to the extreme and it came to this?"
But Kenneth's father, Kenneth Holmes Sr., who wasn't married to Jackson, said that she was recently promoted, "I don't see the reason for any of this. We were just getting ready to go to Jamaica, and now this." Apparently Jackson's sister, who was worried when she didn't hear from her, asked the super to let her into the apartment. The pair then discovered the terrible scene.
Other neighbors said that Jackson was a devoted mother. And Holmes Sr. remembered that his son "had a great smile and a lot of charm. Even if you had an evil heart, you'd still love him." Earlier this year, a woman killed her 8-year-old autistic son and may have tried to kill herself in a Midtown hotel. And last week, four children and their mother were found dead after a fire in a Staten Island apartment; it's possible the mother killed the children and then herself.
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Micaela Jackson
murder-suicide
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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