Brooke Lavon Jackson, 40

Brooke Lavon Jackson, a 40-year-old black woman, was fatally stabbed on Friday, Oct. 26, in the 4200 block of Carlin Avenue in Lynwood, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records. 

Deputies were called to the home where Jackson lived with her husband, Dennis Ray Jackson, 47, and their two children around 8:44 a.m., according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Rodney Moore. 

Investigators found Jackson in her bedroom with multiple stab wounds, Moore said. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:57 a.m., according to coroner’s records. 

Her husband was found inside his car, which was parked in the driveway, with a gunshot wound to the head, said Det. Marcelo Quintero. He was also pronounced dead at the scene at 8:53 a.m., according to coroner’s records. His death was ruled a suicide. 

It appears the couple “had a heated argument that turned violent during the early morning hours,” Quintero said, “She was severely injured and probably died shortly after the attack.”

Investigators believe Dennis Jackson locked his wife in her room after he stabbed her and then walked out to the family car and shot himself, Quintero said. 

The couple’s children, ages 12 and 11, woke up around 8 a.m. confused about where their parents were, Quintero said. They called their adult half-brother, who came to the house, found his father in the car and then forced open the bedroom door to find his stepmother. 

“He’s only about 19 or 20, going to school, but he is very mature and articulate,” Quintero said. “He had to be, to have found his parents that way, make the call to 911 and keep it together.”  

Brooke Jackson was the founding principal of STEM Prep Elementary School, a tuition-free public charter school in the Jefferson Park area of South Los Angeles, according to the school’s website. In her message to parents, she said she had been in education for 18 years. 

Dennis Jackson also worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District in the maintenance department, Quintero said. 

The couple had been married for at least 12 years, Quintero said. 

Members of the STEM Prep school community have started an online fundraising account to create a college fund for the Jacksons' two children. 

Brooke Jackson “was an inspirational leader who touched the lives of all those around her — staff, students and parents alike,” according to the site. “Ms. Jackson was committed to bettering the opportunities for students in our community and we will do everything it takes to carry out her vision.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.  

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter.