Mar. 17—A man accused of killing his half-brother with a gunshot to the head on the front porch of their mother's Manchester home is likely to get a 10-year prison sentence after accepting a plea bargain in which he was convicted of first-degree manslaughter with a firearm, records show.

KILLING DEAL

DEFENDANT: Millard Kenny Jackson Jr., 31, who has lived in Manchester and New Britain

CONVICTION: First-degree manslaughter with a firearm

LIKELY SENTENCE: 30 years, suspended after 10 years in prison, followed by five years of probation

After the man, Millard Kenny Jackson Jr., 31, is released from state Department of Correction custody, he will be on probation for five years, facing up to 20 more years behind bars if he violates release conditions, according to Hartford Superior Court records.

Jackson was convicted in the plea deal Thursday of killing Joseph Swan, his 45-year-old half-brother, on the front porch of the house Joseph shared with their mother at 158 Eldridge St. on Jan. 21, 2019.

Jackson, who has listed addresses in New Britain and Manchester, was originally charged with murder, which carries 25 to 60 years in prison.

Jackson entered the plea bargain under the Alford Doctrine. That means he didn't admit guilt but acknowledged that the prosecution's evidence was sufficient for a conviction.

Jackson's mental health has been an issue throughout the case.

He twice underwent competency evaluations and was found competent, meaning he could understand the proceedings against him and aid his defense.

But he remains an inmate at the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, which specializes in care of male inmates with significant mental health problems.

Jackson has been held in lieu of more than $1 million bond since his arrest in late March 2019. The more than four years of jail time he will have served when he is sentenced will be credited against the 10-year prison term.

Because first-degree manslaughter with a firearm is a violent crime, Jackson will be eligible for parole after serving 85 percent of his time. Unless he gets significant sentence reductions from other early release programs, he will have more than four additional years to serve before he can be freed on parole.

During the investigation, Manchester police got court authorization to search cellphones belonging to several people. Detective Andrew M. Young wrote in an affidavit that "the cellphone data revealed that Millard Jackson Jr.'s family was deeply concerned about his deteriorating mental health and his access to firearms."

The detective quoted Jackson's mother, Carolyn Swan, as writing to his father on Nov. 5, 2018, "I hope u so happy your son has 2 guns now n he has angry rage head in jury his mind is traumatized n try hurt jay..."

A woman texted Carolyn Swan on Jan. 17, 2019, "He need help before he hurts someone." The same woman added in another message to Carolyn Swan, "He needs to be in the hospital. You don't know what he's going to do with that thing. He's not in his right mind."

But Jackson denied in two interviews with police that he had committed the shooting, the detective reported.

During a search of the four-family house hours after the shooting, police found a .357 Magnum revolver in the "communal basement," behind a piece of plywood "affixed to the foundation," the detective wrote. Jackson admitted to police that he had found the revolver and picked it up but said he put it back because it wasn't his, the detective added.

DNA from the gun's trigger was consistent with coming from a single person, Jackson, and his fingerprint was found on the gun, the detective reported.

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