Tom Jackman

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering criminal justice locally and nationally

Education: University of Notre Dame, BA in English and American Studies

Tom Jackman has been covering crime and courts for The Washington Post since 1998, after handling similar beats at the Kansas City Star. Jackman helped lead the coverage of the D.C. sniper trials in 2003 and was the lead writer on The Post’s breaking news coverage of the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, which won the Pulitzer Prize. More recently he focused on the police killing of an unarmed motorist in Fairfax County, Va., which resulted in two Park Police officers being indicted for manslaughter. In 2016, Jackman launched the True Crime blog, which looks at criminal justice issues and importan
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Latest from Tom Jackman

Husband charged with murder in case of missing Manassas Park mother

A Prince William County grand jury on Monday indicted Naresh Bhatt, who has been in jail awaiting trial on a lesser charge of concealing a dead body.

December 2, 2024
Gita Kafle, seated left, mother of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, listens as Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo confirms the new charges against Kafle Bhatt's husband at a Monday night news conference.

Proud Boys’ Tarrio could testify at leak trial of D.C. police officer

Lt. Shane Lamond’s contacts with Henry “Enrique” Tarrio fed Proud Boys’ anger on Jan. 6, 2021. His trial spotlights police dealings with the extremist group.

December 1, 2024
Former D.C. police lieutenant Shane Lamond leaves federal court after pleading not guilty to obstruction of justice and other charges in 2023.

DNA didn’t solve a 50-year-old cold case. Police turned to a sculpture.

A woman found shot to death in 1973 was never identified, so investigators commissioned a 3D rendering of her head, hoping someone will recognize her.

November 30, 2024
A clay model depicts the face of a slain woman whose body was found in rural Loudoun County in 1973.

Former Maryland police officer sentenced for role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Justin Lee joined the Montgomery County Police Department about a year after the attack and was involved in a high-profile shooting of an armed suspect.

November 22, 2024
Justin Lee arrives at the federal courthouse in Washington in August.

Head of elite D.C. preschool arrested on child sex charge in FBI sting

James S. Carroll, the head of the National Child Research Center, is accused of instructing an undercover officer in ways to abuse a young boy.

November 19, 2024

Officers were justified in shooting Bijan Ghaisar, inspector general finds

The Park Police officers who fired 10 shots at Bijan Ghaisar reasonably feared for their safety, an Interior Department inspector general report concludes.

November 12, 2024
U.S. Park Police Officer Lucas Vinyard, left, fires his handgun as Park Police Officer Alejandro Amaya aims at Bijan Ghaisar's vehicle in Fairfax County, Virginia, in November 2017.

At sentencing, Jan. 6 rioter demands ‘full pardon,’ gets 8-year term

Zachary J. Alam demanded a full pardon and “full restitution” at his sentencing. A judge pointed to his lack of remorse in imposing the penalty.

November 7, 2024

Jan. 6 riot defendants celebrate Trump’s election, angle for pardons

The president-elect has promised to pardon some Capitol rioters. His campaign has said he will decide which ones on a “case-by-case” basis.

November 6, 2024
Former president Donald Trump listens as video from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is played during a campaign rally at the Waco Regional Airport in March 2023.

‘Ghost gun’ dealer to pay $2 million in lawsuit over death of Fairfax teens

The seller of unserialized “ghost gun” parts to a Fairfax County teen will pay the families of two classmates who were fatally shot in 2021 in Springfield.

November 1, 2024
Ersheen Elaiaiser, left, and Calvin Van Pelt, both 17, were shot to death in April 2021 by a high school classmate who had purchased a “ghost gun” online from a North Carolina-based company. The company agreed Friday to pay a $2 million settlement.

Virginia assistant principal charged with failure to report assaults

Police say that a Fairfax County assistant principal did not report alleged assaults of students by a special education teacher.

October 31, 2024
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