Former EKU professor charged with killing wife takes plea deal days before trial
A former Eastern Kentucky University professor charged with the 2019 killing of his wife, Ella Jackson, took a plea deal Wednesday afternoon.
Glenn Jackson, 45, took an Alford plea, meaning he does not admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to obtain a conviction if the case went to trial.
Prosecutors’ recommended sentence for Jackson’s plea is a maximum of 14 years in prison. But he will get credit for time served, so he could be released in less than eight years if a judge agrees to the deal.
Jason Hans, Ella’s previous husband, said Wednesday he felt a mixed bag of emotions about the resolution.
The family would not have to go through a trial and potential appeals, which Hans said were positives. But, without a trial, they would never know what happened.
Hans said the deal was Jackson’s right, but was “absolutely not justice.” He expressed thanks to the prosecutors who he said had been thoughtful throughout the process.
Commonwealth’s Attorney David Smith declined to comment.
Jackson was originally charged with murdering his wife in April 2020, and he has been free since that same year, when he was released on a reduced, $150,000 bond.
Nearly six years after her disappearance, Ella Jackson’s loved ones were waiting for a trial to begin after constant snags: COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions in courts and jails, a backlogged forensics lab, judge recusals and potential new evidence.
Instead, just days before the case was set for trial, Jackson took an Alford plea on lesser charges: manslaughter, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.
Thomas Lyons, Jackson’s attorney, was not immediately available for comment.
What happened to Ella Jackson?
Ella Jackson, 47, was reported missing by Phillip Hans, her oldest son, in October 2019. Hans told police he spoke with his mother frequently, and when he didn’t hear from her, he became worried.
Early in the investigation, Jackson told detectives varying stories about where Ella Jackson might have gone. He originally called police and reported his wife of about six years may have abandoned their son. He also told police she would routinely disappear and return.
Police later found Ella Jackson’s phone, wallet, car and then 5-year-old son at her home on Westwood Drive.
In April 2020, Jackson was charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse after a significant amount of his wife’s blood was discovered in the trunk of his vehicle.
Investigators used luminol, a chemical that illuminates when it comes in contact with substances like blood, to find an approximately 2-foot in diameter stain, according to previous detective testimony. A knife, which also reacted to luminol, was also found in the trunk, police said.
A week after Jackson’s arrest, Ella’s skeletal remains were found in Pulaski County on property neighboring one Jackson owns, along with women’s clothing strewn around, according to Richmond police.
A medical examiner ruled Ella’s death a homicide but could not determine a cause of death due to the state of her remains. However, the examiner noted a “significant fracture to the skull,” prosecutors said.
Jackson was employed by EKU as a lecturer at the time of his wife’s disappearance, but fired in February 2020, before his arrest, according to documents obtained by the Herald-Leader.
During the course of the investigation, Richmond police discovered Ella met with a domestic violence advocate a few days before her disappearance and had spoken with a divorce attorney.
Now that Jackson has entered a plea, a wrongful death suit previously filed by Hans against Jackson can proceed.
Hans can also move forward with becoming the legal guardian of Ella’s almost-12-year-old son.
Jackson’s sentencing is scheduled for March 12.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 1:22 PM.
