Jan. 3—GOSHEN — A father was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to strangling his own daughters to the point of near death.

“Literally you were a heartbeat away from this being a totally different situation,” Elkhart County Superior Court 3 Judge Teresa Cataldo said Wednesday.

Steven L. Jackson, 50, of Elkhart, was accused of, on Feb. 26, 2022, choking all three of his daughters to such an extent that it caused petechiae, tiny spots of blood under the skin caused by capillaries breaking open. Cataldo heard that the strangulation of one of the girls also caused her to urinate herself, which was likely a near-death onset after their father not only threatened to kill them but then seemingly attempted to follow through.

“You’re the person that’s supposed to protect them from everybody else in the world, things that go bump in the night, the scary monsters that they imagine,” Cataldo said. “But you turned into that monster, and you not only threatened to kill them but you actually almost successfully killed all of them. … The psychological harm done by you to them is something that may not ever be repaired and they’re going to have to live with the consequences of your actions for the rest of their lives. … It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life, you have a legal and moral obligation to take care of your children and not only did you shirk that duty but you almost ended their lives.”

Jackson acknowledged historically to Elkhart County Public Defender Christopher Crawford that heavy intoxication may have been a catalyst of the crime, but that it wasn’t a defense for the actions. He pleaded guilty in November.

Jackson’s criminal history ended after a stint at the Indiana Department of Corrections in 2005 for robbery and possession of cocaine with a total of 11 misdemeanors and one felony. Between his release and the incident, Jackson had no other criminal charges.

Crawford said he generally took good care of their three daughters, and that his ex-wife Shelly had no concerns leaving the girls with Jackson. Crawford added that when they separated in January 2022, she even left the oldest two girls with Jackson. On Feb. 26, however, she contacted police because she’d been unable to reach her daughters by phone and was concerned, but Jackson insisted to police by phone that he had custody of the girls and left it at that. Later on, police were called back by a neighbor who told them one of the daughters had come to their home claiming someone was being choked. All three girls told police that they’d been strangled by Jackson. At the hospital, doctors confirmed the strangulation and said they’d need more advanced care.

A probable cause affidavit explained that the two elder daughters, told police that Jackson had come home drunk and angry about a text from their mom around 3 a.m. and threatened to slit their throats and then kill himself, but instead strangled the oldest until she almost passed out, and then choked the others, so she got free a ran for help.

“I think people believe that this was uncharacteristic as to the actions on this evening in question and that doesn’t necessarily speak to who Steven Jackson is,” Crawford said. “Throughout the two years that we’ve talked with one another over the course of this case, he’s never indicated anything to me but love for his children.”

Crawford also said there were times when Jackson was in denial about what happened, up until photos of the children’s injuries were made available to him, which led him to his guilty plea.

“I’m extremely and deeply remorseful for what I did,” Jackson said. “I cry and pray to God each and every day and night that my children can heal and find someplace in their hearts to forgive me.”

Jackson also apologized to his ex-wife, her family, and his family.

“I am horrified by my actions that night,” he added.

Jackson said another major reason he pleaded guilty was to avoid having to force his children to take the stand and testify in a jury trial.

Two of his children spoke at the sentencing. His youngest daughter reminded Jackson that he “only did a bad thing, but you are a good person at heart.”

“I think about you a lot — so does [girl’s name deleted],” his middle daughter said. “I hate you, but I don’t. It’s weird. I’m probably going to talk to you again when I’m 18.”

One of the elder daughters did not attend the sentencing.

For her part, Shelly said she just wanted it over with, and the case closed with the plea deal. Cataldo said she accepted the plea agreement mostly to avoid the additional hardship of the children having to relive the trauma again in a trial setting.

For all three counts of attempted murder, a Level 1 felony, Jackson was sentenced to 40 years for each count to run concurrently, with 30 to be served at the Indiana Department of Corrections, and the remaining 10 to be served on probation. Associated counts of strangulation were dropped.