A man mistakenly released from LA County Jail to await trial for the murder and robbery of Lady Gaga’s friend and dog walker has been recaptured.
James Howard Jackson, 19, was arrested without incident on Wednesday by members of a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, multiple law enforcement sources told NBC4’s I-Team.
Jackson is one of five people charged in the February 2021 assault on Ryan Fischer, who was shot while walking the singer’s dogs on a side street in Hollywood.
He was released from prison in April 2022 after a computer system was updated which incorrectly indicated that all charges against him had been dismissed.
The news comes as one of the three men charged in the case did not contest second-degree robbery.
Jaylin Keyshawn White, 20, was immediately sentenced to four years in state prison in connection with the robbery plea and an enhanced sentence that another defendant was armed, according to Assistant District Attorney Michele Hanisee.
Three other charges – attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and forcible assault likely to produce grievous bodily harm – were dismissed following his plea, the prosecutor said.
White was charged in April 2021 along with Jackson and Lafayette Shon Whaley, 28, in connection with the February 24, 2021 shooting.
The US Marshals Service last month announced a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Jackson’s arrest.
Fischer was walking three French bulldogs belonging to the singer when he was shot, and two of the dogs were stolen from the 1500 block of North Sierra Bonita Avenue near Sunset Boulevard.
Surveillance video from a home security system shows Fischer walking down the sidewalk when a white sedan pulls up and stops in the street, with two people jumping out of the back seat and saying, “Forget it.”
A struggle ensued and a shot was fired, prompting Fischer to fall to the ground screaming. The attackers each grabbed a dog – named Koji and Gustav – and climbed back into the back seat of the car, leaving Fischer on the ground screaming for help.
The singer’s other bulldog, Miss Asia, ran towards Fischer on the ground after the attackers’ vehicle disappeared from view.
Jennifer McBride – who police say she found the dogs and responded to a reward email to return them – is charged with one count of aiding and abetting after the fact and receiving stolen property.
The 52-year-old woman, who brought the dogs to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Olympic Division, allegedly had a relationship with Harold White, the father of Jaylin White, now 42, according to police and prosecutors.
Harold White is charged with one count of accessory after the fact and possession of a firearm with a prior conviction listed involving a firearm.
Lady Gaga, who was in Italy shooting a movie at the time of filming, had offered a $500,000 reward for the safe return of her pets and praised Fischer, saying he had risked his life “to fight for our family.
hero.”
In an Instagram post about a month after the crime, Fischer said he recovered well from the shooting when his lung collapsed and he had to undergo emergency surgery.
Los Angeles police said detectives did not believe the victim was targeted because of the dogs’ owner, but suspected the high value of the breed was known and was the motivation for the theft.