The negotiated plea required Jackson to admit guilt to every charge and accept a life sentence with probation to follow.
CANTON, Ga. — A Cherokee County criminal case that began with a hospital report in April ended with a negotiated guilty plea and a life sentence for Ezekiel Lamar Jackson.
Jackson, 23, of Canton, pleaded guilty May 28 to all 10 charges he faced after prosecutors said he attacked a woman who came to his apartment to provide cleaning services. The charges were two counts of rape, three counts of aggravated sodomy, kidnapping, aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated battery and terroristic threats. Chief Superior Court Judge David L. Cannon Jr. imposed the negotiated sentence: life in prison with the possibility of parole, followed by 40 years on probation.
The plea hearing gave prosecutors a chance to put the case record in open court without calling witnesses for a trial. Assistant District Attorney Kelly Chavis presented the factual basis for the plea. She said the woman had responded to Jackson’s April 5 Nextdoor post asking for an apartment cleaner and had scheduled an appointment for 10 a.m. April 6. The woman arrived at Jackson’s one-bedroom apartment, walked through the unit to determine what cleaning work would be needed and was attacked while standing in the bathroom. Jackson’s guilty plea meant he admitted the conduct tied to each charge.
Prosecutors said Jackson stabbed the woman in the face and eye with a small screwdriver and tried to keep her from screaming by forcing his fingers down her throat. He applied pressure to her neck until she felt she was losing consciousness, then caused her head to strike the bathroom counter when he pushed her to the floor, according to the district attorney’s office. For the next five hours, prosecutors said, Jackson restrained her, threatened to kill her if she tried to escape and sexually assaulted her multiple times. The woman’s face and eye continued to bleed during the attack.
The woman eventually got Jackson to allow her to go to Northside Cherokee Hospital. Prosecutors said she agreed to tell medical staff she had fallen and hit her face on a counter. Jackson went with her and waited while she was treated. Hospital staff reported the assault to Canton police, and officers responded at about 2:58 p.m. April 6. Jackson was arrested in the hospital waiting room. Doctors found that the woman had an orbital fracture and brain bleeds from head trauma. She was later moved to the Kennestone Intensive Care Unit for treatment.
The investigation produced both physical and digital evidence. Canton police searched Jackson’s apartment and seized a bloody towel, the screwdriver used in the assault, first-aid supplies and other items that prosecutors said were consistent with the woman’s account. Police also searched Jackson’s cellphone. That search showed 15 people had responded to his cleaning post. Prosecutors said every other respondent was male or represented a larger cleaning company, and Jackson responded only to the victim. Chavis said the evidence suggested Jackson targeted her because she was a woman working alone.
The sentencing terms reached beyond the prison term. Cannon ordered Jackson to pay restitution and have no contact with the victim. If Jackson is ever released, he must register as a sex offender, follow sex offender probation conditions and complete psychosexual and mental health evaluations and treatment. During probation, he is barred from Georgia except for Effingham County and Clayton County near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The district attorney’s office did not release the restitution amount. It also did not announce when Jackson could first seek parole under state rules.
At the hearing, the victim gave an impact statement describing the attack, her ongoing physical and emotional injuries and the effect on her children. Prosecutors did not release her name or the full statement. They said she thanked the community for support. Chavis said the victim’s actions were central to the outcome because she persuaded Jackson to let her reach medical care and then reported the assault once she was separated from him. “The victim demonstrated great courage and strength, and ultimately saved her own life in the face of such evil,” Chavis said.
District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said the sentence matched the severity of the case. “The defendant’s conduct was torturous and horrific,” Treadaway said. “For five hours, this victim endured unimaginable violence. A sentence of life in prison is the only appropriate outcome for the deeply disturbing actions of this defendant.” The case was investigated by the Canton Police Department and prosecuted by Chavis of the Gang and Organized Crime Unit. The district attorney’s office said the plea brought the case to a close while sparing the victim from trial testimony.
The official timeline spans 53 days from attack to sentence. The woman answered the cleaning post on April 5. She arrived at the apartment the next morning. Hospital staff notified police that afternoon. Canton police arrested Jackson at the hospital, then followed with search warrants at the apartment and on his phone. Prosecutors later used those findings to support the charges. On May 28, Jackson entered the negotiated plea, and Cannon sentenced him the same day. The speed of the case reflected the plea agreement, the physical evidence and Jackson’s decision to admit guilt.
The public record leaves some details unresolved. Officials have not released the victim’s name, the amount of restitution, the full medical recovery timeline or the exact date Jackson may first become eligible for parole review. They have said the woman suffered serious head and eye injuries and required intensive care. They have also said the attack affected her children and left ongoing physical and emotional harm. Jackson’s sentence sets the legal outcome, but the district attorney’s office has described the victim’s recovery as continuing beyond the court date.
Jackson remains under a life sentence with the possibility of parole, followed by 40 years of probation. The next steps are administrative, including prison custody, restitution processing and enforcement of the no-contact and sex offender conditions.
Author note: Last updated 2026-06-29.