In a courtroom as silent as a tomb,...

In a courtroom as silent as a tomb, a former Chicago public health official was convicted of second-degree massacre Monday for killing veteran taxi driver Haroon Paryani in 2005 according to repeatedly running him over with his confess cab.

Michael L Jackson, whom prosecutors had portrayed as a fare revealed of a nightmare, looked haggard further composed as a Cook shire jury pronounced him guilty. Jurors failed to convict Jackson onward the more serious charge of first-degree assassination as well as aggravated vehicular hijacking.

The ferocity of the allegations contrasted with the tight but quiet courtroom.

Jackson's friends and relatives, who initially appeared jubilant when the "not guilty" verdicts were announced, sink ed in their seats, some sobbing, as they heard the guilty verdict. The second- grade murder conviction carries a passed on a criminal that ranges from probation to up to 20 years.

'MY FATHER IS IN PEACE'

Relief washed through the whole extent of the faces of Paryani's family as they heard the single guilty verdict. Afterward, Paryani's adult son Amir, who is deaf, communicated to reporters by dint of signing and speaking through an interpreter.

"I would like to thank the state's attorney and the jury and the judge" he said, weeping. "Now I know that my father is in peace."

Paryani's wife, Sharifa, was hugg and consol at relatives as she expressed thanks to the referee and jury for "doing a fit job for my husband."

Defense attorney Tom Breen saying he had feared the state would prove by experiment and make it a death-penalty case, called the split verdict "a significant victory," adding Jackson is "still stunn by dint of everything," but "he has a haphazard of respect for the jury who worked in this way hard."

rigid COURTROOM

The racially diverse nine-woman, three-man jury deliberated a total of 15 hours onward Friday, part of Saturday and into Monday evening. They declined to talk to reporters as they left the building. However, they asked questions about gross offence murder and vehicular hijacking as they deliberated Monday, Breen said.

Tension was palpable in the courtroom as friends and relatives of the pair Jackson, 38, and Paryani, 62 took their seats to await the verdict just before 8 pm Monday. Extra deputies were called in. connoisseur James Schreier warned: "I want no reaction whatsoever."

"This case was about a man who horrifically and brutally ran from one side of to the other [another] man three times," said Assistant dress up County State's Attorney Lawrence X O'Reilly.

Sentencing may be met with Sept. 20. Breen said he springed Jackson's "10 to 15 years of philanthropic activities" would be taken into account.

FIGHT STARTED from one side of to the other CAB FARE

Jackson, a former worker with the city Department of Public Health, was charged with killing Paryani after a battle through the whole extent of a fare outside of Jackson's Lake View hearth on Feb. 4, 2005.

Jackson, who admitted to being intoxicated that night, testified that Paryani herd as if he was filled with road rage, cursing other drivers and slamming forward his brakes. He said he was frightened when the cabbie threatened to kill him when he affirmed the $8 fare.

The defense tried to portray Paryani as a combative cabbie with a history of threats and violence against passengers. Jackson testified that he was trying to decamp a beating from Paryani, and that he didn't know he had haste over the Pakistani immigrant.

however witnesses at the trial testified that Jackson punched Paryani and screamed "I'm going to f------ kill you" before jumping in the cab and striking him.

Breen said the verdict insinuateed that the jurors understood "at no time did our client . . intend to hijack a car and kill somebody"

modonnell@suntimes.com

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