Two women found dead Friday in Indianapolis
Man believed to have killed the two, drove to Jonesboro, and shot himself in the head
JONESBORO, Ark. – Authorities believe a man murdered two women in Indiana, drove to Jonesboro, and killed himself on Friday.
At approximately 2:45 p.m. on November 24, 2017, Jonesboro police officers responded to 115 North Drake Street in reference to a call of an attempted suicide. Upon their arrival, officers located Darrel Jackson, 29, of Indianapolis, Indiana, deceased in a vehicle. A detective was called to the scene and, based on all of the evidence at the scene, it was determined by police that Darrel died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Darrel’s father was the individual who contacted police, the report said. He was at the scene when authorities arrived and spoke with them. He said he had received a text message from his son stating that he could not take it any longer. The father rushed to the scene to try to prevent his son from committing suicide, the report said, but was too late.
During the investigation, it was further determined that Darrel was a suspect in a double homicide that occurred in Indianapolis.
Two women were found dead at about 5:30 p.m. Friday evening in Indianapolis, Indiana, local news reported in the area. The two women were identified Saturday afternoon as Meredith Opel, 20, and Mallory Jackson, 27, reported WTHR. Mallory was Darrel’s wife, the report said. Meredith and Mallory were sisters, a post to EveriPedia.com by those close to the family said.
While not specified, an Indiana public information officer said the women were found to have “trauma” to their bodies. Officers knew it was a brutal double-murder and contacted detectives. The Indiana PIO told WTHR the act was not believed to be that of a random crime. He said there was no threat to the wider community, indicating a crime involving individuals who knew one another.
Quick rundown of what we know so far: pic.twitter.com/M1XOY3KbYu
— Holly Hays (@hollyvhays) November 25, 2017
Jonesboro officers are cooperating with Indianapolis detectives with their investigation, the release from Sgt. Cassie Brandon said. Any questions regarding the homicide investigation were directed to the Indianapolis Metro Police Department. NEA Report has reached out to the IMPD and is awaiting more information on this case.
Less than 24 hours before all three would be deceased, suspected killer Darrel Jackson posted a photo to Facebook of himself and his wife, Mallory. It isn’t known if the photo was taken on Nov. 23 or if it was an older photo he decided to upload at 4:51 p.m. on Nov. 23.
Darrel’s Facebook profile revealed several details about the man believed to be responsible by police. He and victim Mallory had been married since October 11, 2015, his profile said. It said he attended Jonesboro High School before going to Reinhardt University in Georgia for Business Administration/Management. In 2012, he was awarded the Reinhardt Family Scholorship, this article by the university said. Jackson’s Facebook profile said he graduated in 2013.
The last Facebook post by the believed killer was made at 2:23 p.m. on Nov. 24. In it, he seems to have completely given up despite his educational accomplishments. He also makes a plea to readers, saying, “before you judge me, take a second to realize, all the faith you could have restored before the demise.” While his statement blaming others for not having enough faith in him seems to be his way of avoiding taking personal responsibility for his actions, his request to the public to consider his side “before you judge” shows he knew he had done something most in the public would revile.
As expected, replies to Darrel’s post were emotional and ranged from hatred to compassion. Tragically, as one might have suspected by photos of the married couple with a baby, one person posted confirming a sad truth: a child will grow up without either parent because of this.
A reply to Jackson’s apparent suicide note by the father of the two murdered daughter’s made a heartfelt plea. He asked those to consider all of the evil and hatred in the world and in honor of his beautiful daughters, to be kind to one another.
People…no words can begin to explain the pain and grief our families are dealing with. To think that there are those who know little or nothing about this situation try to assign blame is as unjust as these acts themselves. In honor of my beautiful daughters, please be kind to one another. With all the evil in this world, we don’t need additional hatred or threats…we need more love, kindness and compassion. Please be kind. – Doug Opal, father of female victims, in a reply to Darrel Jackson’s post above.
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