Killer sentenced to third life term

Kim Smith

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000 | 10:41 a.m.

By all accounts, Shavonne Graves was a good kid. The 16-year-old excelled in school, worked hard, sang in the church choir and dreamed of being a lawyer.

On Wednesday, three years after she disappeared, the next-door neighbor accused of killing her was sent to prison for life.

Alfonso Jackson, who is already serving two life terms for kidnapping, sexual assault and robbery in an unrelated case, was given a third life term by District Judge Kathy Hardcastle.

According to authorities, Graves disappeared after she left her job at a fast-food restaurant on July 24, 1997. She was supposed to meet a girlfriend at a grocery store near Sahara Avenue and Valley View Boulevard, but never showed up.

Six months later, her skeletal remains were found in the trunk of Jackson's burned out car in the desert near Apex.

The girl Graves was supposed to meet was dating Jackson at the time and Graves had been trying to get her to break up with him.

Jackson, 31, was indicted in January and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last month.

Before Hardcastle pronounced Jackson's sentence, Yvonne Thomas spoke about her daughter, who was the second oldest of eight children.

Shavonne was a kind-hearted girl who loved school, work and church. She never wanted to hurt anybody or see anybody hurt, Thomas said.

Thomas asked Hardcastle to give Jackson the maximum possible.

"My daughter came back in a body bag this big," Thomas said, holding her arms about 2 feet apart. "She was nothing but skeletal remains. I have an ache in my heart. It's an ache that will never go away. I miss her tremendously and my family misses her. What he did was not right and I hate him for it."

When Jackson was given the chance to address the judge, he spoke of his remorse, but also implied someone else was responsible for the girl's death.

Two of Thomas' relatives were forced to leave the courtroom because of their outbursts at the start of Jackson's speech.

"I know what happened was wrong, but you know, the person that had a part to do with it is gone and I'm sitting here with the blame," Jackson said. "I'm sorry she's gone and I just pray that one day her family can forgive me. I know they hurt. I feel their pain."

Jackson's attorney, Robert Lucherini, said his client is filled with such remorse he often broke down and cried whenever they discussed the case. He decided to enter a plea, Lucherini said, to spare the family further pain.