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Friday marks one month since 19-year-old Jackson Butler was stabbed to death during an altercation in a Pleasanton hotel parking lot — and there are still many questions left unanswered.
For Jackson’s family, at the forefront is coming to terms with such a monumental, sudden loss while trying to understand why the former Amador Valley High student was killed and hoping those responsible will face justice soon.
“The best. He was the best,” older sister Rachael Butler told the Weekly. “Smart. Funny. Could always brighten your mood.”
“I can’t even picture my life without Jackson. My wedding, when I get married, he won’t be there. He’ll never get to have kids,” she said. “There’s just a hole in my life that will never get filled.”
“The loss is staggering … Every day is like a nightmare,” father Kevin Butler said, later adding: “We appreciate all of the support from the community.”
The family — also including Jackson’s mother Tracey and other older sister Camaryn — sat down for a conference call with the Weekly late Thursday afternoon.
They reminisced about a son and brother who was kind, funny and athletic, with Olympic aspirations and just beginning to explore adulthood.
They opened up about their grieving process made that much more difficult by the circumstances of the young man’s death — and complicated by the social realities of life amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
And they described the emotions of a drawn-out criminal investigation in which two suspects were arrested but gained release from custody and no homicide charges have been filed to date in Jackson’s case.
“We hear from the detective once a week, usually just a check-in,” Camaryn said. “It’s not like in the movies. We’re trying to be patient.”
A homicide is a rarity in the Tri-Valley communities, but especially Pleasanton; Jackson’s death was the city’s first homicide in nearly eight years.
“This case, as with any homicide, is an extremely in-depth investigation that requires significant time and resources to produce a solid case to the District Attorney,” Pleasanton police Capt. Larry Cox told the Weekly on Thursday.
“This case is tragic and our heartfelt condolences go out to the Butler family and friends,” Cox added. “We ask the Butler family and our community to trust the investigative process and be patient. I can assure you our detectives are doing impressive work to bring closure to this case.”
Jackson’s parents and sisters said they appreciate the close contact and updates provided by Pleasanton police, but the fact those responsible for Jackson’s death are not behind bars is still tough to reconcile.
So too is trying to find closure during a point in time in which COVID-19 health restrictions all but prohibit any kind of inclusive memorial service or public candlelight vigil to honor Jackson.
Jackson Reese Butler, who had celebrated his 19th birthday on Feb. 1, was born and raised in Pleasanton.
Jackson grew up attending Pleasanton Unified School District schools until transferring out of Amador during his junior year. He would go on to complete his diploma through an independent study-type program and had been taking firefighting classes through Las Positas College, likely inspired by his father who is a retired firefighter, according to his sisters.
He was also a gifted athlete, possessing a knack for developing skills quickly in almost any sport he tried out, according to his family. He wrestled for the Dons during his time at Amador.
“He is remembered as an incredible young man who was celebrated as a world-class wrestler during his time at Amador,” school administrators said in a statement released through the district in the days after his death.
But his talents were best on display with judo.
Jackson, who trained alongside his sisters, competed internationally in 18 different countries, earned the No. 1 ranking in the nation in his division for several years and was a Pan-Am champion, the family recalled.
He reveled in the world travel that came with high-level youth judo, especially enjoying trips to France and training camp experience in South Korea, Camaryn said. He aspired to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“Unlimited potential. He was very gifted … He was just developing man-strength. The ceiling wasn’t even close,” Kevin said of his son. “He was robbed, cheated.”
And he was a mentor to students, young and old, at his family’s studio, Tri-Valley Judo in Pleasanton.
“Not only did he help everyone, he was the lion of the club,” Kevin said.
“We grew up as any close family. We all did judo together,” Camaryn said. “He loved Disneyland. We went in October. It was a great trip. It was like we were still kids.”
Jackson was also working to gain his independence as a young adult. He had a new girlfriend. He’d rescued a kitten, Oliver, for whom his family is now caring. (“We’re not cat people, but we are now,” Kevin quipped.)
It was in line with finding that independence that led to Jackson staying in a room at the Hyatt House Pleasanton on Chabot Drive, a temporary stop — as were stays at friends’ places, Airbnb locations and home — as he applied for apartment openings in recent weeks, according to Kevin.
Investigators are still working to determine the circumstances and motive for what happened in the hotel parking lot on April 15.
Police said the 19-year-old went outside that night to meet two people, but a confrontation ensued and escalated to the point that Jackson was stabbed multiple times around 8:20 p.m. He was transported with critical injuries to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where he died.
The individuals involved in Jackson’s death fled the hotel parking lot that night. But subsequent investigation led to police arresting two Tri-Valley teens on April 21 for direct involvement in the killing, though both arrestees are now out of custody with the investigation ongoing.
No homicide charges have been filed to date.
“We are continuing to work on the case and compiling more evidence to present a completed case to the District Attorney,” Cox said. “I am not in a position to share that evidence at this point in the investigation. We are still awaiting lab results and search warrant returns.”
Originally arrested in connection with the Butler homicide were 19-year-old Isaiah Joseph Howard and a 17-year-old boy whose name has not been revealed. Both arrestees have ties and/or addresses in Dublin and Pleasanton, according to Lt. Erik Silacci.
Howard, who was booked into the Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of accessory to murder and concealment or destruction of evidence, was later released from custody after posting bail, according to Silacci. Howard was listed as a 2019 graduate of Amador.
The 17-year-old boy was booked into Alameda County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy. Cox confirmed that the juvenile too was later released from custody, because prosecutors had not filed formal charges against him due to the ongoing investigation. Police have declined to release the teen’s name publicly, citing his age.
Detectives are still working to determine the motive. Silacci said during the week of the homicide that police were “investigating the possibility of drug sales activity” but that motive had not been confirmed to that point.
“Our Criminal Investigations Unit has been working solely on this case for the past month. Each and every case has different challenges and this case has presented it’s fair share,” Cox said Thursday.
“In 2020, the criminal justice system expects and demands not only physical but technological evidence to convict suspects in homicide cases,” the captain added. “This means DNA, cellular phone and social media forensics all of which require search warrants and cooperation from providers.”
The case marks Pleasanton’s first homicide (non-vehicular) since May 7, 2012.
The family said since Jackson’s death, they’ve had many people reach out and share memories or talk about Jackson’s influence — like “Jackson was so impactful to me.”
“The loss of Jackson has affected many. Everyone that knows the family is in shock over this brutal murder. This does not happen in Pleasanton,” family friend Karyn Lewis told the Weekly. “Many of his friends and their parents are heartbroken over this as is my own family.”
Lewis, who used to live down the street from the Butlers before she moved away from Pleasanton, has been pushing “#justiceforjackson” on social media since Jackson’s death
“Everyone wants answers. Everyone wants the person or persons that murdered Jackson to be caught and put away for good so that we can put this to rest and the family and the community can try to move forward. Until that happens no one is sleeping,” she said.
As the investigation enters its second month starting on Friday, the Butler family is hopeful the police work will wrap up soon and result in serious homicide charges against those responsible. They said they think the COVID-19 crisis may be impacting the investigation timeline, with aspects such as search warrants.
The pandemic has affected their grieving process in other ways as well.
Because of coronavirus-prevention restrictions, on top of standard rules to protect evidence integrity, the family members said they could only view Jackson’s body two people at a time, couldn’t touch his hand or kiss his head and couldn’t say a family prayer together in the room.
There’s also been no memorial service or candlelight vigil. They hope to schedule each soon after the relevant COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed, but even then, they say it’s hard to know what those events will look like.
“It’s hard because you’ll want to hug people, but you can’t,” Rachael said.
The two that have been charged with anything but murder have more than ties to Pleasanton. They were both star athletes at Amador, one having recruits for football watching.
@ OpenCA I guess murderers and accomplices to murder come in all sizes and shapes.
@openca I guess athletes can be murderers too
@openca I guess they threw that all down the drain when they were involved with murdering a 19-year old boy who had “more than ties” to Pleasanton as well.
@openca honestly, what does that have to do with anything? You do know athletes can be murderers, right?
@ OpenCa What an astounding thing to realize that someone can be both a star athlete, and a brutal murderer! How gives a f *** about his FoOtBaLl ReCrUiTs when they’re something mentally wrong with him? Any human with the capacity to do this to another human in any case other than self defense is clinically insane.
Justice, let’s not give them an excuse to declare temporary insanity.
@openca, athlete, movie star, popular, criminal—OJ Simpson. Possibly a murderer too; we will likely never know.
@OpenCA, well now they will be notorious for this horrible and senseless act. Unfortunately, there are lots of examples of “star athletes” engaging in criminal conduct. I hope we can put the focus back where it belongs–that the life of a beautiful and kind young man was cut way too short. #JusticeforJackson
Condolences to the family. I can see why parents want to keep their children home, close.
wow!!! what a terrible loss! I hope the suspects are locked up for life, that’s what they deserve!! My prayers go out to the family and friends who were lucky enough to know this handsome, and very kind young man. Justice for Jackson!
@openca I was told the older one Isaiah Howard was a bully to many at Amador. Guess it looks like those scholarships are down the toilet now.
Let’s not all forget why them boys went to meet Jackson, to buy drugs.. so let not sugar coat this, they were all wrong. It doesn’t justify him being killed, but let’s not call the kettle black . Jackson wasn’t the perfect kid.. he sold these vape pins THC pins to these young boys at the high school.. Both sides wrong
@Both Sides
Sounds like you know an awful lot about the drug business in Pleasanton.
And it was mentioned in the article that they were investigating the “possibility“ about drugs. Not confirmed. And does that warrant a stabbing and being killed? Are you upset because of the legal “Pens” you say he sold to young boys? Apparently you have all the answers and evidence right?
Hopefully it won’t be your child it happens to next. Why would you even bother commenting with your sorry a## remarks unless you were a very bitter person? Where’s the compassion for the victim and his family? And why do you call yourself both sides? What a joke.
@Both sides, really sad and disgusting that you chose to blame the victim following what was a positive article where the family was describing their terrible loss. You have no compassion. And, “both sides,” really? What kind of person shames and blames the victim for his death when he isn’t here to defend himself? There is a big difference between drug sales (which hasn’t even been proven yet), and robbery and murder. Frightening that you don’t see that.
@bothsides
AND!? How is this relevant at all? Are you perfect? Comparing murder to selling pot is not even an equal comparison. This motive was not confirmed. But it is a fact that those disgusting people took his life. Get your head out of your a**. Jackson was a great person… he did not deserve this. If you did your research you would see the hundreds of posts/comments from classmates of his.
Does anyone Remember Aaron Hernandez!Just because you are a star athlete, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a THUG.
To the family of Jackson. I am so sorry this has happened and it doesn’t matter where people are trying to shame him or parent shame. He was a young man, perhaps making some choices that were not in his best interest, but that doesn’t erase the heartache his family feels….. I get so tired of parent shaming… You can do everything right, love and instill the most important rules, but at some point a young person will go left or right….ah, if only for a minute. He will always be a beautiful young man to his family and God bless his Mama…. Sincerely, k <3
I have heard from those that knew Jackson that he was a really good kid while at Amador. In fact he and one of the suspects played sports together while attending high school. Not sure why he left Amador but assume it was to further his judo training. With that said, people change with time and if in fact he was dealing drugs of any kind that is a world filled with violence. The choices we make have consequences and sometimes we lose control of the outcome.
How was it determined, who determined this kids murder involved drugs?
From my perspective, the presence of drugs could be considered relevant in the sense that if they were involved (whether being purchased or sold), neither of which have been confirmed and are therefore merely speculations, that there lies some, slight responsibility on Jackson’s end. Does that mean this tragedy was his fault (assuming drugs were involved)? NO. That murder is somehow justified if drugs were involved? NO. I hope whoever is responsible for Jackson’s murder faces retribution. That said, if drugs were involved, there’s something to be said for accountability, acknowledging that with every reward there is also a risk. Murder under almost any circumstance is inexcusable (“almost” referring to cases of self-defense), but sometimes the inexcusable and unimaginable does happen, and while we cannot control the actions of others, we are responsible for our own actions – actions which can sometimes contribute to tragic outcomes. There’s no denying that the burden of this tragedy lies with the murderer (that’s self-explanatory), but let’s not forget the power of our own actions and their impact.
I’d also like to add that using or taking part in drug related activity does not inherently make someone a “bad” person, character is the principal determinant when judging one’s morality. There are plenty of good people, good kids, who find themselves involved with the stuff, and maybe it’s a bad decision, but it doesn’t make the person or kid “bad” and certainly should not distort anyone’s “legacy”. I can’t speak for Foothill students, but having graduated from Amador last year, I can attest to there being a drug problem, which has only seemed to grow with the rise in vaping. If the investigation later confirms that the purchasing and selling of drugs were involved in this case, I can only hope that students who use take a minute to reflect on how their actions, their demand for drugs, creates a market for something that is not only illegal, incredibly destructive and harmful to the body, but also has the potential to cause great harm through their distribution.
Finally, my deepest sympathies to his family, especially his sisters – based on the stories kids in my grade have shared (I never knew Jackson personally), it sounds like you raised one hell of a young man whose character and personality will continue to influence countless numbers for years to come. I am so truly sorry for your loss.
But if we arrest them they might get covid?
First of all, my sincere condolences to Jackson’s family. Whether drugs were involved or not, Jackson did not deserve to die. The focus should be putting those responsible behind bars, covid or not! I am appalled that they are out on bail. They brutally killed him and justice needs to be served now. #justiceforjackson
There is no feel good outcome to this, we can say all the platitudes and get upvoted all we want, but at the end of the day he was stabbed to death. Stabbing is up close and personal, so either the victim was a really good guy who at an ill fated moment crossed paths at the wrong time with two psychopaths who went to Amador, or he made some bad life decisions that ultimately enraged the two “star athletes” from Amador enough for them to allegedly kill him in such a brutal manner, unless of course after they left someone else came up and killed him. There are some very hard questions to ask and I don’t know if this community has the stomach to want the answer.
Remember the homeowner that got beaten into a coma a few years back by some local high school kids just for asking them to quiet down while parked down his street? Remember how nothing ever came of it? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Beautiful article. Jackson sounds like an amazing young man. I hope PPD is doing everything they can to put these horrible people in jail for life! Is there outside help being brought in?? Pleasanton hasn’t had a murder in years, everything needs to be done to make sure this family gets justice. Thanks for the update, but these suspects were arrested more than 3 weeks ago… Who knows this Howard isn’t hiding more evidence while out on bail? I hope this minor is charged as an adult! You 100% know what you are doing when you bring a knife anywhere!!!
“Remember the homeowner that got beaten into a coma a few years back by some local high school kids just for asking them to quiet down while parked down his street? Remember how nothing ever came of it? Pepperidge Farm remembers.”
The drunk guy who, unprovoked, started a fight and head butted a kid? Then fell and hit his head? I don’t think you could have possibly mischaracterized that any worse, lol.
I know the victim. He was liked and a friend to many. This is evident by reading the different social media platforms. FB insta, twitter and snap. Like most teens, he was navigating through life trying to figure it out. For those who are perfect, please step outside of your ivory tower for a moment and be real. A large percentage of teens need to make mistakes and learn, this is how you grow. If you have children, you are not exempt. Regardless of what Jackson may have been doing, which is only speculation. These thugs, planned to cause bodily harm. These individuals are out wondering our community, possibly looking for more targets. What really upsets me is that some are blaming the victim. That is outrageous! As a community, we should rally to support the victim and his friends/family. A lot is known about the victim, but not too much about the suspects. Why was the 19 yo’s mug shot not released? Could he live in your neighborhood? I have read that the suspects are brothers and that they are both out of jail. That is crazy! A brutal crime has been committed against one of our own, yet these thugs walk freely amongst us. Not a good feeling and the community needs to be very concerned. Condolences to Jackson’s family and friends. Jackson, we will never forget you and will fight for #justiceforjackson
Maybe those thugs were just, “navigating through life trying to figure it out” too.
While entirely possible that the victim had zero “reason” to being attacked, it’s highly improbable. And let’s be clear, in no way, regardless off involvement or lack of involvement, was he deserving of death/harm/etc.
But our responsibility as parents and community members is to teach our kids about decisions, actions, and consequences. And certain actions and decisions come with higher impact and probability of consequences. This individual is gone and his friends and family will forever feel that loss, but his death doesn’t have to go without serving a greater purpose of possibly helping someone else from avoiding from making a bad choice (assuming he was involved in illegal activity).
@pleasantonparent
Are you defending murderers? Putting blame on his parents?Because if so that is ridiculous, and pretty low of you. If anyone deserves blame it is the people that murdered Jackson, and the parents that raised murderers!
Justice,
No. I’m absolutely not saying that, re-read please.
Judah Garrison
Dajhae Wiltshire
Jaerson Lubrin
Sekou Brandon
let them rot behind bars!