Jury delivers verdict in murder trial for the 2019 stabbing of a man in Carmichael

A man was convicted of first-degree murder Friday in a 2019 stabbing in Carmichael, according to officials.

Stephen Jackson was found guilty of using a knife in the killing of Jaitu Keys, according to a news release from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.

Jackson attended a high school football game Nov. 9, 2019, with a female friend and after the game asked the friend to come inside his house but she declined, the news release stated.

After she said no, prosecutors argued, Jackson hid a GPS tracking device in the trunk of the friend’s car before she left and met the male victim. Keys then got in the passenger side front seat to talk with the woman.

Jackson approached and smashed the front passenger window. Prosecutors said Jackson then stabbed Keys four times, including once in the heart.

The friend drove Keys to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the release.

Jackson faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison, prosecutors said, with his sentencing hearing scheduled for April 1.