A 19-year-old college student has been arrested in Colorado on suspicion of murder-for-hire in the killing of his football teammate after a friendship soured.
According to reports, Jackson T. Keller, a student at Fort Lewis College in Durango, near the New Mexico border, was arrested last Thursday on suspicion of “inciting first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a weapon on a college campus.” durango herald.
Keller, described as a freshman linebacker on the college’s 2025 football roster, was released on $50,000 bail.
According to an arrest affidavit filed in La Plata County Unified Court, the murder-for-hire plot occurred when Keller got into an argument with his fellow defensive backs. He first asked a mutual acquaintance to carry out the attack, and when he refused, Keller then turned to three alleged assassins from Colorado Springs, documents say.
Keller and the potential target were former friends and lived in dormitories connected by adjacent bathrooms, the affidavit said. After a series of incidents, the former friend began locking his connecting door to prevent Keller from entering his room, documents state.
Jackson T. Keller (inset) is a student at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. (Fort Lewis College/CC BY-SA 3.0)
The victim told police that Keller tried to enter his room last Wednesday but was unable to because the door was locked. The incident was witnessed by another friend and classmate, Kirby McGill, who later joined the defensive end and went to Keller’s room to confront him.
During the ensuing confrontation, the victim “became upset” and kicked Keller’s television, knocking it against his PlayStation, although neither device was damaged, the affidavit said.
Keller challenged the victim to a fight, and McGill told police the suspect had a pair of scissors behind his back and said he would “stab anyone who came into his room and tried to hurt him.”
When the victim returned to his room, Keller allegedly asked McGill if he would pay $500 to “wear a hat” on the defensive end and offered to wire the money via CashApp when he was “done.” McGill told police it was his understanding that Keller asked him to kill his teammate.
When McGill refused, Keller reportedly told him “it’s okay,” and McGill said he later witnessed him speaking on FaceTime with three men handling the gun, who agreed to give him “a hat,” according to the documents.
McGill told police he saw Keller send a $500 CashApp payment to the men, who said they would be “on their way,” an estimated seven-hour drive from Colorado Springs to Durango.
McGill left the room and described what he had witnessed to the potential target, who reported the incident to housing officials, who called police.
Jackson T. Keller was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a weapon at the university. (goskyhawks.com)
When Keller was interviewed by law enforcement the next day, he denied hitting his former friend, the affidavit said, and he was booked into the La Plata County Jail late Thursday.
The college said in a news release that “probable cause for the listed charges was determined” when a search warrant was executed on campus Friday night.
Court records show Keller has no criminal record in Colorado and only one traffic ticket in Florida, CBS reported.
According to the college’s football roster, Keller’s hometown is Tampa, Fla., and his bio on the website says he “enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to music by artists like Rod Wave and NBA Youngboy, and his favorite food is chicken.” He originally planned to major in business, the biography says.
Keller is now subject to a mandatory protection order prohibiting him from approaching or contacting the alleged victim.
A spokesperson for the college told CBS News that the safety of students, faculty and staff is the “top priority” and said the Fort Lewis College Police Department “acted quickly and worked with other law enforcement agencies.”
“FLC’s swift response is a testament to the strength of our campus safety protocols and partnerships.”
Keller’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 23 at the La Plata County Courthouse.
