Jury Convicts Dallas Drug Dealer of Murdering 19-Year-Old

A federal jury found a local drug dealer guilty of killing a Dallas teenager following an investigation by the FBI Dallas Field Office, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle, a federal jury found Freddie Gilbert, 35, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, discharging a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and murder resulting from the use of a firearm in during a drug trafficking crime Thursday afternoon.

“Far too often, drug trafficking spurs horrific acts of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “In this case, a known cocaine dealer legally barred from possessing a weapon gunned down an innocent 19-year-old, then shoved her in the trunk like a piece of trash. We will not allow his crimes to go unpunished.” 

“The defendant in this case is a dangerous criminal that not only committed murder, but routinely committed acts of violence and sold large quantities of drugs,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno of the Dallas Field Office. “The FBI will continue working with our law enforcement partners to eradicate drug-related violence and protect the well-being of the communities we serve.”

According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Gilbert, an avowed cocaine dealer, shot and killed 19-year-old Jacquisha Isaac on Oct. 29, 2017.

Forensic evidence showed that Mr. Gilbert shot Ms. Isaac through the head while she was sitting in the passenger seat of his car.  He likely fired the fatal shot through the window, while standing outside the vehicle, then stashed her body in the trunk and took off, prosecutors said.

Hours later, Mr. Gilbert was apprehended driving more than 110 mph down I-20. 

Investigators identified Ms. Isaac’s blood inside the car, as well as on the clothing Mr. Gilbert was wearing when he was apprehended and on the revolver he used to kill the young girl.

They also discovered a bullet he had purchased the day before covered in Ms. Isaac’s blood on the floorboard, gun residue on Mr. Gilbert’s hands, and his palm print on the trunk of the car where he’d stashed her body.

Mr. Gilbert faces up to life in federal prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys P.J. Meitl and Tiffany Eggers prosecuted the case.