An Ohio teen and her 33-year-old boyfriend were sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for the murder of the man’s mother when she objected to their relationship.
Kaitlyn Coones, now 18, and Jonathon Jones took plea deals on June 4, pleading no contest to charges of aggravated murder and abuse of a corpse, WTVG reported. They will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
Prosecutors said Coones gave Jones an ultimatum in April 2023: five hours to kill his mother or she would do it herself, CrimeOnline reported.
“Kaitlyn had told Jonathan that they needed to do something about his mother because she was preventing them from being together, and she gave him five hours to do something about her,” Sylvania Township Police Detective Jake Albright testified last November at a hearing that determined Coones, then 17, would be tried as an adult.
When he failed to carry out the murder, he picked Coones up from a restaurant and took her to Nicole Jones’s home, where she bludgeoned the 53-year-old woman with a rock and then strangled her. The pair went to a store and bought a tarp and trash bags, then disposed of Nicole Jones’s body in a nearby apartment complex dumpster.
Coones, who lived in foster care, was reported missing on April 18, and a warrant was issued for Jonathon Jones’ arrest three days later for violating the conditions of his electronic monitoring program following an earlier conviction on charges of pandering obscene material and endangering a child. When he missed a May 4 court date to be sentenced, authorities put out a nationwide alert. The following day, Nicole Jones’ Buick Encore was spotted in Cochise, Arizona, with her son and Coones inside.
At that point, police in Canton asked Sylvania Township police to check on Nicole Jones. They couldn’t find her.
A few days later, Jonathon Jones was taken into custody in Mexico, along with Coones. Initially, authorities thought Jones had kidnapped Coones. But after she was brought back to Ohio, investigators filed charges against both relating to the disappearance an presumed murder of Nicole Jones.
Before the plea deal, Coones had been charged with aggravated murder, murder, abuse of a corpse, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence. Jones faced the same charges, plus aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery.
“This was a horrific event,” Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates said in a statement. “We are relieved to reach a resolution in this case. We hope this brings some measure of peace to Nicole Jones’s family. May her memory forever live in their hearts.”
739282115 Wrongful Death Lawsuit by kc wildmoon on Scribd
The administrator of Nicole Jones’ estate has viled a wrongful death lawsuit in Lucas County against both Coones and Jonathon Jones. The suit seeks $25,000 plus punitive damages and other relief.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Kaitlyn Coones/Cleveland Division of Police and Jonathon Jones/Cochise County Sheriff’s Office]
