Timothy Jones is set to be sentenced in Lexington County, South Carolina for the murder of his five children: 1-year-old Abigail Elizabeth Jones, 2-year-old Gabriel Jones, 6-year-old Nahtahn Jones, 7-year-old Elias Jones, and 8-year-old Merah Gracie Jones. Court is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. ET. Prosecutors said that he ended their lives while he had sole custody of them, put them in plastic bags, and buried them.
The defense didn’t dispute this, but they tried to show that he was insane at the time of the acts. Jurors didn’t buy the argument. They found him guilty on Tuesday, determining that he was legally culpable for what he did.
The children’s mother Amber Kyzer gave emotional testimony about her experiences with her husband and the children.
“My kids knew I loved them,” she said on the stand.
Defense lawyers often present mental health issues as mitigating factors in a sentencing hearing.
A defense expert said during trial that Timothy Jones could tell right from wrong during the murders, but suggested that synthetic marijuana contributed to what happened.
#TimothyJones – Dr. Frierson says on the day the children were killed Jones COULD distinguish legal and moral right from wrong. (this is defense witness). pic.twitter.com/MymeT4nLKz
— Law & Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) May 30, 2019
#TimothyJones – Dr. Frierson: “I think spice contributed incredibly to what happened.” pic.twitter.com/BR8tiSukYB
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) May 30, 2019
Prosecutors will likely highlight the brutal nature of these murders, and the vulnerability of the children. According to an FBI agent, Jones admitted to strangling the younger children with a belt because his hands were too big. The defendant also recounted his daughter Merah Gracie Jones‘ final words: “Daddy, I love you.”
[Screengrab via Law&Crime Network]
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