A young Ensley man convicted of capital murder in the 2018 shooting death of another man at Birmingham apartment complex has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

A Jefferson County jury in May found Corey Lamont Beckwood guilty in the Nov. 17, 2018, slaying of 34-year-old Eric Jermaine Jackson. Beckwood was 16 years old when he was arrested in Jackson’s death.

He was also convicted of two counts of attempted murder for the wounding of two others in the same incident.

Beckwood, 22, rejected a plea offer before his trial.

The charge against Beckwood was a capital crime because the victim was in a vehicle.

Beckwood could have faced life in prison without parole. Because of his age at the time of the killing, Beckwood was not eligible for the death penalty.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Stephen Wallace handed down the sentence Wednesday morning.

In addition to the life sentence, Beckwood received 30-year sentences on each of the attempted murder convictions.

West Precinct officers responded just before 1:30 a.m. that Saturday to the parking lot of The Hamilton Apartments in the 1900 block of Avenue O on a report of gunshot victim. Once on the scene, officers found Jackson in a back seat of a white SUV wounded and unresponsive. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Investigators said the shooting happened at nearby Smart Food Mart in the 900 block of 20th Street Ensley. A woman then drove the victim to the apartment complex seeking help. The rear window of the SUV had been shot out.

Hours after the killing, Birmingham police released surveillance photos from the store, asking the public to help identify the suspect. He was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force four days later in east Birmingham.

Birmingham police and Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies set up a perimeter around a home after receiving information the suspect was there. They knocked on the door and could hear a lot of moving inside but nobody would answer the door.

The homeowner gave lawmen permission for the marshals to enter the home. Ultimately, they found Beckwood hiding behind a stove in the kitchen. He had pulled out the stove, climbed in behind it and moved it almost back into place. He was taken into custody without further incident.

“This tragic case involved an extraordinarily brutal and utterly senseless act of gun violence from a teenager,’’ Deputy District Attorney Tiffany Ould said following Beckwood’s conviction. “The verdicts are justice for the victims, especially the family of Eric Jackson, and for the community.”

Beckwood’s attorney, Christopher Daniel, asked the judge to consider the life with the possibility of parole, citing Beckwood’s age, learning disability and tumultuous home life.

“This court must consider Beckwood’s ‘chronological age and its hallmark features – among them immaturity, impetuosity, and failure to appreciate risks and consequences,’’ Daniel wrote, citing case law, in a sentencing memorandum.

“Beckwood is not incorrigible to point of being broken beyond repair,’’ Daniel wrote. “Beckwood’s mitigation can, will and does make clear that if given an opportunity to reintegrate to society many years from now, Beckwood has a meaningful opportunity to have a successful life.”

“Distance in time, maturity and geography from his current environment sets Beckwood up for success in a way that he likely would not have were he outright released from custody today,’’ Daniel wrote

Daniel said in his memorandum the life with the possibility of parole is not a reward.

“Life with the possibility of parole is just what it appears: a sentence with the possibility of release,’’ Daniel wrote. “There is no right or guarantee of parole and given the makeup of Alabama’s parole board, the likelihood of parole any time in the near future is next to zero.”