New York Man Accused in 2021 Murder on Wheeling Island Pleads Not Guilty
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WHEELING - The man accused of murdering Michael J. Jackson of Wheeling in 2021 was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the charge on Friday.
Ohio County Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Turak said Niyajah Hales of Brooklyn, New York, was indicted by an Ohio County grand jury in September 2021 for the murder of Jackson at the VooDoo Lounge on Wheeling Island on Jan. 28, 2021.
"The family of Michael J. Jackson has been waiting for over two years. ... It's time to bring this matter to a conclusion," Turak said.
Turak noted a warrant for Hales' arrest was issued just days after the shooting that led to Jackson's death.
Jackson died in March 2021 at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown as the result of injuries sustained in the shooting.
"(Hales) was arrested in May 2020 in New York and fought extradition for a year. We finally got him into our state," she said of Hales.
A pre-trial conference is slated for 10 a.m. Aug. 1 before Judge Mike Olejasz.
Turak believes Hales had also been facing unrelated charges in New York, though she was not sure of the nature of those charges.