EVERETT — Forest Jackson was in New York City in 2011 with his friends from Mountlake Terrace High School for an elite jazz band competition.
They were at dinner, celebrating. Jackson, who played the tenor saxophone, had been named outstanding soloist. He stepped away from his friends to call his grandparents.
His grandfather beamed as he told the story Friday. Even now, the memory is a source of pride, a moment of joy.
“Forest, my grandson, was a gentle, sweet spirit,” Bob Jackson said. “Forest was innocent. He didn’t deserve to be murdered.”
Forest Jackson, 20, was stabbed to death last year. He was attacked by his friend Toby Sauceda, 20, after Jackson refused to give Sauceda back his stash of Xanax, a prescription drug primarily used to treat anxiety.
Jackson was worried about his friend. He didn’t think he should have unfettered access to the Xanax and Sauceda didn’t have a prescription for it.
“It has been said that no good deed goes unpunished, and on the 29th day of March, 2014, Forest Jackson was apparently attempting to do a good deed,” Snohomish County Superior Court Judge David Kurtz said Friday. “Essentially the victim’s good deed cost him his life. The defendant’s bad deed deserves heavy punishment.”
The judge sentenced Sauceda to 20 years in prison. Kurtz gave the defendant some credit for pleading guilty to second-degree murder, sparing Jackson’s family a trial.
Defense attorney Walter Peale said his client wanted to take responsibility for his actions and declined to take the case to trial even though there was a viable defense.
The defense’s medical expert, who evaluated Sauceda and his family history, concluded that as a result of a mental disease the defendant wasn’t able to form the intent to commit murder, Peale said.
The psychologist diagnosed Sauceda with depression and anxiety. The defense claimed that Sauceda was abusing Xanax at the time of the murder.
Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Bob Langbehn disputed the defense’s claims. There was no evidence Sauceda couldn’t recognize the gravity of his actions or that he was so high he didn’t remember stabbing Jackson. There was no evidence he was suffering from a psychotic break, Langbehn said.
“This case is not about mental health issues on behalf of the defendant,” he said.
It also isn’t a case of Sauceda pleading for help and being turned away from the hospital, Langbehn said.
“This case is about a person who chose to use drugs, who manipulated those around him to suit his purpose, and who ultimately slayed his friend in search of his ‘stash,’ ” Langbehn wrote in court papers. “This case is about a person who repeatedly thwarted any attempts to help him.”
About an hour before the stabbing, a Mountlake Terrace police officer had pleaded with medical staff at Swedish/Edmonds hospital to evaluate Sauceda for a possible involuntary commitment. Sauceda had been behaving strangely. He called 911 to report that he had sexually assaulted someone and later told police he didn’t know who he was or where he lived. The officer had planned to give him a ride home but decided to take Sauceda to the hospital.
He was aware Sauceda the previous month threatened to kill himself in front of police officers. The officer reported telling the hospital’s mental health professional and an emergency room doctor about Sauceda’s “escalating violent history.” The hospital declined to call a county mental health professional and told the officer Sauceda would be fine once the drugs wore off. Sauceda told a nurse he wasn’t crazy and was trying to avoid going to jail. Officers arrived at the hospital with Sauceda at 12:25 a.m. They were called to the homicide scene at 1:48 a.m.
Sauceda, now 21, cried Friday as his family talked about failing him. There were signs, even from an early age, that he needed help, but they didn’t heed those warnings. His aunts, uncles and cousins called his troubles “demons.” They said that Sauceda isn’t a monster.
“We failed to offer him guidance. We failed to help him through the tough times he was going through,” his uncle said.
Sauceda said he always knew he was “neurotic,” and now others are suffering because of it.
“I know I can’t be forgiven. He was a friend,” Sauceda said.
Kelsey Davies met Jackson in high school in 2007. They were in band together.
“I’m not the only one here who considered him my best friend,” she said Friday.
Jackson made people feel comfortable. He was quick with a joke and had an awkward laugh that was unique. He didn’t rush to hand out advice, instead he was a great listener, Davies said. The last time they chatted, he was talking about the future. He was a pharmacy technician and worked alongside his mom. He was enrolled in college and planned to move back home with his parents to save money to buy a car. That’s all gone.
“I used to say Forest died because he was such a good friend,” Davies said. “That’s not true. Forest died because Toby killed him.”
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
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