HOUSTON– A man has pleaded guilty in the fatal shooting of a New Orleans police officer and his off-duty friend during a 2021 robbery at a Houston restaurant, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
As part of a plea deal, Frederick Jackson pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in exchange for a 60-year prison sentence, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
Jackson, 22, of San Antonio, pleaded guilty to the murders of Detective Everett Briscoe, 41, and Dyrin “DJ” Riculfy, 43.
Briscoe and Riculfy were dining on a restaurant patio on Aug. 21, 2021, when two men wearing hoods approached them, tried to rob them and then shot them, police said. Police said the suspects fled but were later arrested.
Briscoe, a 13-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, was pronounced dead at the scene. Riculfy died ten days later in a Houston hospital.
Briscoe and Riculfy were members of Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club and were traveling with club members when they were shot.
Jackson pleaded guilty in court in Houston on Tuesday. He was scheduled to stand trial this week.
“This was a well-trained police officer from a big city who was just minding his own business and enjoying his time off with friends on vacation,” Ogg said in a statement. “It is an absolute tragedy and it shows that anyone, anywhere, can be the victim of a violent crime.”
Jackson must serve at least 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole. He will be formally sentenced on Monday.
Two other men, Anthony Rayshard Jenkins, 24, and Khalil Nelson, 21, remain on trial in the shooting. Both remain imprisoned.