By Palm Beah and Broward Mugshots
CASE REMAINS PENDING AS DEFENSE CONTINUES DEPOSITIONS
SUNRISE, Fla. — Broward County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Jackson Julian Sagesse Jr., the man accused of klling Hailey Hosford and critically injuring her friend during an apparently unprovoked knife attack inside a Sunrise apartment complex.
The May 28, 2025 attack was captured by surveillance cameras inside the parking garage at The Retreat at Sawgrass Village.
More than a year later, the case remains pending. Court records show Sagesse pleaded not guilty, and his defense was still filing notices to take depositions as recently as July 20, 2026.
WOMAN ATTACKED INSIDE PARKED CAR
According to Sunrise police, Hosford was waiting inside a black Mercedes-Benz while her friend briefly went into the apartment building.
Surveillance footage reportedly showed Sagesse approaching the vehicle in the parking garage.
Hosford initially opened a passenger door but then apparently saw Sagesse approaching and attempted to close it. Police said Sagesse forced the door back open before making repeated stbbing motions into the vehicle.
Hosford suffered multiple wounds to her neck and throat. Officers later found her unresponsive on the rear floorboard, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said a steak knife was found on the vehicle’s front passenger seat.
SECOND VICTIM STBBED IN THE THROAT
Bryant returned to the garage and encountered Sagesse, according to investigators.
Police said the two men became involved in a violent confrontation before Sagesse allegedly stbbed Bryant in the throat and chased him through the garage.
Despite his injury, Bryant escaped and called 911 at approximately 1:42 a.m.
“Someone just stbbed me,” Bryant told the dispatcher in a recording later released by authorities. “He stbbed me in my neck. He got it pretty good.”
A responding officer found Bryant outside the complex with a puncture wound to his throat. He was still able to direct officers to the parking garage, where Hosford remained inside the vehicle.
Bryant survived but reportedly required extensive medical treatment, including a tracheostomy.
SUSPECT ARRESTED AT HIS APARTMENT
Workers at the complex reportedly recognized Sagesse from the surveillance video and directed police to an apartment he shared with his mother.
Officers arrested him a short time after the attack. Police said a steak knife was found in his pocket, blood was discovered near the apartment’s rear entrance and knives were missing from a kitchen knife block.
Sagesse was reportedly wearing clothing resembling what investigators observed in the surveillance video.
His Broward County booking report lists charges of premeditated murder and attempted felony murder. He was initially ordered held without bond.
“MURDERING FOR SELF-DEFENSE”
According to a detailed arrest report obtained by news organizations, Sagesse admitted stbbing both victims but repeatedly claimed he acted in self-defense.
Police said he described what he had done as “murdering for self-defense” and acknowledged aiming for Hosford’s “vital parts.”
Investigators said Sagesse estimated that he stbbed Hosford approximately 10 times. A medical examiner reportedly identified at least five wounds to her neck and throat.
Sagesse allegedly claimed he noticed the vehicle’s lights were on and initially wanted to call police. He said he returned to his apartment because he did not have his phone and collected a knife for protection before going back to the garage.
Police said he could not identify any specific threat made by either victim. Investigators have not publicly announced a clear motive for the attack. Local 10 News
PROSECUTORS ANNOUNCE DEATH-PENALTY CASE
A Broward County grand jury indicted Sagesse in June 2025. He entered not-guilty pleas during his June 17 arraignment and requested a jury trial.
On July 31, 2025, prosecutors filed a formal notice announcing their intention to seek the death penalty.
Court activity continued throughout the remainder of 2025. The docket includes discovery submissions, hearings and two notifications stating that Sagesse refused to leave the jail for scheduled court proceedings.
In October 2025, the court entered an order establishing discovery and motion deadlines and setting the case for a specially scheduled trial.
DEFENSE STILL CONDUCTING PRETRIAL DISCOVERY
The case had not reached a verdict as of July 20, 2026.
The prosecution continued filing discovery materials in early 2026, while Sagesse’s defense filed multiple notices to take depositions. Three deposition notices were filed on March 3, two more followed on May 14, and additional notices were filed on July 20.
A notice canceling a deposition was filed July 8.
The continuing deposition and discovery activity indicates that attorneys are still preparing the case for trial. The supplied docket does not identify the final trial date.
Sagesse has not been convicted, and the filing of a death-penalty notice does not mean a death sentence has been imposed. Prosecutors must first obtain a conviction for a capital offense before a separate penalty proceeding can determine whether the punishment will be life imprisonment or death.
All individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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