A 22-year-old man has pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in a 2021 double murder in exchange for a sentence of 60 years in prison, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This was a well-trained police officer from a major city who was just minding his own business and enjoying time off with friends on vacation,” Ogg said. “It is an absolute tragedy, and it shows that anyone, anywhere can be the victim of a violent crime.”

Frederick D. Jackson, of San Antonio, pleaded guilty to killing Everett Briscoe, a veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, and Briscoe’s friend, Dyrin Riculfy, during an apparent robbery attempt on Aug. 21, 2021.

The two victims were killed on the patio of the Grotto Ristorante at 4715 Westheimer at about 5 p.m. on a Saturday.

Jackson and another man approached the patio restaurant brandishing firearms and demanding money, which led to the shooting. A third man was waiting nearby in a car.

The double murder in broad daylight at an upscale restaurant shocked Houstonians and made international news. The Houston Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant District Attorney Keaton Forcht, a chief in the Major Offenders Division of the DA’s Office, prosecuted the case with Cameron Calligan, chief of the Organized Crime Division.

Jackson was scheduled to start trial later this week when he agreed to the plea deal Tuesday. Jackson is expected to appear in court next week for victim impact statements from the victims’ families, who will be traveling to Houston.

“We wanted him to admit guilt for both murders and go to prison for the equivalent of a life sentence, and this accomplishes both of those goals,” Forcht said. “It was important to the families of the victims that he take responsibility.”

Jackson cannot appeal the murder convictions or the prison sentence. He must serve at least 30 years in prison before he is eligible for parole, which is the same as if he were sentenced to life in prison.

Two other men, 24-year-old Anthony Rayshard Jenkins and Khalil Nelson, 21, are still facing trial in the shooting.

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