Christine Bailey said she can’t get the image out of her mind.
Displayed on the projection screen in the courtroom, it showed her daughter lying on the floor of the Penn Hills after-hours club where she had been shot to death by a security guard.
On Wednesday, Bailey told a judge that her loss has not improved with time.
It has been nearly two years since Stephanie Stuart was killed at Ballers Hookah Lounge and Cigar Bar in Penn Hills during what Bailey called a senseless crime.
“I will never get over it,” she told Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jill E. Rangos through tears. “My heart aches for my daughter. I’m empty inside.”
On Wednesday, Chaz Jackson, the security guard who police said fired two shots that night, was sentenced to serve at least 10 years five months in state prison for voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.
Jackson, 44, of Pittsburgh, told the court that he had no intention to hurt anyone that night.
“I had a split second to react,” he said. “Never once did I think to hurt or harm anyone.”
Actions not justified
According to testimony at trial in February, Jackson was working security at the Penn Hills club on June 2, 2024, when he heard gunfire.
Jackson testified he saw three muzzle flashes out of the corner of his eye and claimed he saw Stuart holding a handgun and sweeping her arm back and forth.
He unholstered his gun to respond, he claimed, but as he did, was wrenched backward by his friend and pulled to the floor.
Jackson testified he didn’t realize he had fired his weapon until days later when he counted the bullets in the gun he was licensed to carry, and two were missing.
Police later matched those bullets to the one that killed Stuart and wounded another patron.
A second person in the club was also killed that night. Police believe that Nathaniel Smiley, 44, of Pittsburgh, was shot by someone else.
No charges have been filed in his death.
At trial, Assistant District Attorney Jameson Rohrer asked the jury to convict Jackson of third-degree murder, arguing that his actions in firing that night were not justified.
The defense, however, told the jury that Jackson acted out of self-defense.
The jury found Jackson guilty of voluntary manslaughter, which applies in a killing in which a defendant has an unreasonable belief his actions were justified.
‘There is no moving on’
On Wednesday, Rohrer asked the court to sentence Jackson in the aggravated range because of his recklessness that night.
“This wasn’t one stray shot,” he told the court, noting that Jackson’s actions endangered more than 100 people in the club. “We need to hold security to a higher standard.”
Alesha Green, who was seriously wounded during the shooting, wrote a victim-impact letter that was read by Rohrer.
“Before that night, I was a completely different person,” she said, before describing how she watched Stuart die in front of her.
“I cannot unsee the chaos or the fear,” Green wrote.
She told the court her knee was blown apart, and it had to be rebuilt with plates and screws.
“The physical pain has been unbearable at times,” she wrote. “The emotional damage has been even harder to carry.”
Stuart’s brother, James Watson, also wrote a letter, asking the judge to make Jackson’s punishment match the magnitude of the loss.
“The pain does not get better with time,” he wrote. “It does not heal. There is no moving on.”
‘Reckless conduct’
During the sentencing hearing, Jackson called two people to speak on his behalf.
His sister, Denise Holt, told the court she understands how the victims and their families feel.
Another brother was killed in a bar several years ago, she said.
“It never gets easier,” Holt said. “I’m so sorry.”
Still, she asked the court for leniency for Jackson.
“I feel like he was doing his job,” Holt said.
Darryl Jackson told the court his brother had never been arrested before.
“That night, he felt he had no choice but to react,” he said. “It’s terrible for everybody.”
But, he continued, his brother was trying to save a life that night.
“I’m just hoping for some understanding,” Darryl Jackson said. “Because this ain’t right.”
Chaz Jackson told the court he had worked security for 19 years and often talked with patrons to avoid violence.
“I truly am sorry for the loss to Ms. Stuart’s family,” he said.
Jackson said he has trouble sleeping, and it’s hard knowing he caused someone else’s pain.
“I never took aim at any person,” he said.
In handing down the sentence, that reaches a maximum of 20 years 10 months, Rangos said
she did not believe it required an aggravated range sentence.
“I do believe this jury got it right,” she said. “This was reckless conduct.”