What to Know
- James Harris Jackson, 28, faces charges of murder as an act of terrorism as well as murder as a hate crime
- He allegedly came to NYC from Baltimore with the intent to kill black men; he's accused of slaying 66-year-old Timothy Caughman with a sword
- In a jailhouse interview, Jackson said he was raised in a churchgoing, liberal family in a Baltimore suburb. He said 1950s society was ideal
The 28-year-old sword-wielding white supremacist who allegedly stabbed and killed a black man on a Manhattan street last month pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of murder as an act of terrorism and a hate crime.
James Jackson had been scheduled to appear in Manhattan court earlier in the week, but the hearing was postponed after his parents stopped paying for his defense attorney. Jackson entered the plea alongside his new court-appointed attorney Patrick Brackley and is due back in court at the end of May.
Jackson, an Army veteran, is charged in the March 20 sword stabbing death of 66-year-old Timothy Caughman, who authorities say was alone and collecting bottles for recycling when he was attacked from behind. He staggered, bleeding, into a police station and later died at a hospital.
Jackson had come to the city from Baltimore intending to kill black men as part of a mission to deter interracial relationships, according to police and prosecutors. He allegedly described Caughman's slaying as a "practice run."
In a jailhouse interview with the Daily News, Jackson said he was raised in a churchgoing, liberal family in a Baltimore suburb. He said his ideal society is "1950s America."
Jackson's previous attorney had said if the allegations were true, his client had clear psychological problems that the court needed to address.
