The bullet severed Jacob Jaillet’s spinal cord.

That meant, doctors told his parents, that the 21-year-old would never walk, talk or eat again. He could never be disconnected from the machinery keeping him alive.

“However, Jacob’s brain was completely intact,” his mom, Tami Jaillet, testified Monday. “They call this ‘locked in.’

“Jacob was a prisoner in his own body.”

For days after the July 27, 2021, shooting, Jacob’s family communicated with him by writing on a whiteboard and watching his corresponding eye blinks.

“Those five days in the hospital were excruciating,” Tami testified.

Because his son was 21, his dad told the court, Jacob had to be the one to decide whether he would go on.

“I can’t imagine what that was like,” Jeff Jaillet, his dad, said.

“It was too much,” Tami Jaillet said. “He told us to get him to God. He asked us — when can I die?”

One last look

Knowing Jacob’s life was nearing its end, the staff at UPMC Presbyterian helped him say goodbye to his family and friends, allowing a steady stream of visitors.

Jacob’s family asked if he could be taken home, but the ride would kill him, doctors said.

Instead, the staff wheeled him outside so Jacob could see the sky one last time.

“They even let us bring our dog,” his mom said.

Hope Jaillet, Jacob’s younger sister who was 16 at the time, said the days in the hospital were full of hope and heartbreak.

“He knew his time was coming to an end, but he was the one to try to keep us calm,” she said. “The one person I want to talk to most about this is gone.”

Five days after the shooting, Jacob, an organ donor, died. He didn’t want his mom there at the end, and they followed his wishes.

“My husband had to do this alone,” Tami Jaillet told the court.

Shot in the back

Jacob was working at a U-Haul rental center on Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington section when a man entered that afternoon inquiring about renting a pickup.

Braijon Burton was in and out of the store, and at 4:30 p.m., entered again, saying the truck he wanted to see was locked.

Jacob went outside to help him and gave Burton the keys.

Then, police said, Burton shot Jacob in the back.

Burton fled in the pickup and eventually crashed into a police car on the city’s 31st Street Bridge after a chase.

In February, a jury convicted Burton, 24, of Garfield, of second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison without parole, and related counts.

On Monday, Burton received that sentence, plus an additional 6½ to 13 years.

“You are a danger to society,” said Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente.

Marked by violence

During Monday’s sentencing, the defense called only one witness, a forensic social worker from the Allegheny County Public Defender’s office.

Pam Morelli said she reviewed 4,000 pages of education, mental health and Children, Youth and Families records from Burton’s childhood.

His youth was marked by violence, she said, including seeing his grandfather shot and killed in front of him.

Burton was the victim of emotional and physical abuse, Morelli said, and he was in and out of placement as a child.

His father was sentenced to life in prison when Burton was 5.

Burton’s first mental health treatment began at age 7, when he was diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Burton’s mother once sought a restraining order against him, and he was arrested for going home.

Defense attorney Steven Tehovnik noted Burton’s mother abandoned him at a young age and said she wished she’d killed him and herself.

But Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Berosh discounted Burton’s troubled youth.

“If you’re in a community plagued with violence, the appropriate answer is not to respond with violence,” she said.

‘My best friend’

Jacob loved playing Xbox and baseball.

He excelled in math and was majoring in data analytics at Edinboro University, paying his way through school by working at U-Haul. He was a 2018 graduate of Avonworth High School.

He wasn’t even scheduled to work the day he was shot but agreed to take an extra shift when a co-worker called off.

Jacob’s family described his laugh as contagious and said he had a positive attitude and amazing spirit. He gave great hugs.

“We could spend hours outside playing catch without saying a word,” Jeff Jaillet said. “You could feel the love between us.”

Jacob was hard-working and conscientious. People were drawn to him.

“He was more than my son. He was my best friend,” Jeff Jaillet said. “Raising that young man was the greatest thing I ever did.

“I just wish it didn’t have to end so soon,” his dad said.

Every quiet moment, his parents told the court, is spent thinking about him and his loss.

Tami Jaillet said Jacob shared everything with her, and she always kept his secrets.

Every member of Jacob’s family called Burton’s actions that day cowardly. They questioned why, since he had the keys to the truck, he didn’t just leave.

“He robbed us of a past, present and future,” Tami Jaillet said. “I do not have any forgiveness in my heart for this person. Now or ever.”

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