Press Releases
02/08/2023
Jury Convicts Jahmari Cooper of the 2017 Murder of Jeri Kollock, Jr. in Bridgeport
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Bridgeport, CT) – Fairfield Judicial District State’s Attorney Joseph T. Corradino announced today the conviction of Jahmari Cooper of Bridgeport for the crime of murder in violation of Connecticut General Statute Section § 53a-54a(a).
A 12-person jury found Cooper guilty of the October 11, 2017 gunshot murder of Jeri Kollock, Jr. in the Green Homes Housing Project in Bridgeport. Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Tiffany Lockshier presented the case for the state.
Evidence produced at trial showed that the victim was stripped naked before he was killed in the basement of Building 1 of the housing complex. An autopsy revealed that the victim had been shot five times.
Cooper fled Bridgeport following the homicide and was apprehended in Florida in October 2018. A search of Cooper’s residence on October 26, 2017 produced the semi-automatic pistol used in the commission of the murder. Deliberations began on February 6, 2023 but on February 7, 2023, a juror was excused due to illness and an alternate juror was chosen to replace him. The jury was instructed by trial Judge Tracy Lee Dayton to begin deliberations anew, which commenced on February 7, 2023 at 2:30 p.m. The jury returned the guilty verdict at 3:00 p.m. today.
Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Lockshier attributed the successful outcome to the hard work of the Bridgeport Police Department Homicide Squad. She also stated that “The jury was attentive to the evidence and worked conscientiously to reach an appropriate verdict.” State’s Attorney Corradino said that the combination of good police work and Lockshier’s talented presentation of the case was responsible for the outcome today.
Cooper, 23, faces up to 60 years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Dayton on April 5, 2023. He is also awaiting trial for an unrelated homicide in Manhattan, New York.