APPLETON, Wis. -- The brother of a murder victim attempted to attack the woman who was sentenced for the crime in Outagamie County Court Thursday.
A jury found Mastella Jackson guilty of first degree intentional homicide and bail jumping in November 2016. Jackson was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for supervision after 35 years.
Jackson stabbed her husband, Derrick Whitlow, in a Grand Chute hotel in 2012.
In court Thursday, the victim's brother, James, lunged out of his chair and attempted to attack Jackson.
It took several courtroom officials to hold him back during the scuffle.
Courtroom observers were asked to clear the room as screams rang out and family members cried.
The victim's family and friends voiced their frustration to NBC 26.
"Snoop as we call him, was like a brother to me,” said one family friend.
"She doesn't deserve to be able to be free. They didn't get a chance to fight back. Her children didn't get a chance to fight back, so she shouldn't have that chance," said the victim's sister-in-law.
The jury heard about a weeks worth of testimony before beginning deliberations.
"I don't have a strong support system as far as a family and stuff like that. There is no one there. My children are all I have,” Jackson said. "Will the court please have mercy on me and grant me an opportunity at parole, so I can be here with my children?”
Jackson will be eligible for parole after 35 years.
