Teenager Allegedly Uses 9 mm Gun from Lunch Box in Fatal Incident Over Ride Refusal

A shocking incident unfolded in Idaho as a teenage boy admitted to a heinous crime that left a community in disbelief. The 16-year-old, identified as Bobby Grant Jackson Jr., confessed to fatally shooting a woman, citing her refusal to give him a ride and a grudge against her brothers, whom he blamed for his friend’s death.

In a chilling admission, Jackson told law enforcement, “I put a bullet in her brain,” referring to the victim, 30-year-old Rebecca Rivera. The tragic event took place on October 23, 2025, in Blackfoot, approximately 250 miles from Boise. Court documents reveal that Jackson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea agreement, leading prosecutors to drop the initial first-degree murder charge. This agreement suggests a prison sentence ranging from 20 to 27 years, with his sentencing scheduled for March 4.

The grim discovery of Rivera’s body was made by family members at her mobile home on the 1100 block of Broadway Street. The victim had suffered a fatal gunshot wound, confirming the severity of the crime that had transpired.

Details surrounding the case were further illuminated by a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime. On the day of the incident, Jackson had been working for a subcontractor involved in a hospital renovation. An employee recalled how Jackson had inexplicably disappeared after asking for a bathroom break. It was during this time that the employee discovered a handgun missing from his truck, which had been stored in a lunch box. Realizing Jackson’s absence and the missing weapon, he promptly alerted the police.

A probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime said Jackson was working earlier that day for a subcontractor renovating a hospital. An employee told investigators that Jackson had asked to go to the bathroom and was gone a long time. The man went looking for Jackson and realized that a handgun he had inside a lunch box in his truck was missing and Jackson was nowhere to be found. The employee called police.

Officers obtained surveillance footage that showed Jackson enter the truck and grab something. Detectives later followed up with the gun owner and gathered the same ammunition he had said was in the gun when it was stolen, the Idaho State Journal reported. Detectives compared the bullets and found a matching pattern from the shell casing found at Rivera’s home, police reportedly said.

Investigators learned that Jackson had been living at a halfway house while on probation from a previous arrest for armed robbery. An employee at the halfway house told cops Jackson’s phone showed he was at a gas station in the 900 block of Broadway Street, which is just down the street from the murder scene.

Detectives spoke with Rivera’s neighbors, who said they saw Jackson earlier in the day asking for a ride. Surveillance images confirmed he was at the trailer park sometime after 12:40 p.m. Investigators also found that Rivera was murdered with a 9 mm handgun — the same type of weapon that Jackson allegedly stole from the worksite.

An arrest warrant was initially obtained for second-degree murder, and cops took Jackson into custody the day after the murder at a home in Pocatello. Cops say Jackson had “no known relationship” with Rivera. EastIdahoNews obtained an amended complaint that contained Jackson’s interview with detectives.

Investigators reportedly wrote that Jackson asked Rivera for a ride and when she said no, he said “f— it” and went into the trailer and killed her. He also claimed that he recognized Rivera and “believed her brothers had killed his friend,” the affidavit reportedly said. When asked if he killed Rivera as payback, he reportedly answered in the affirmative.

“I put a bullet in her brain,” he allegedly said.