LEXINGTON, S.C. — After weeks of testimony, jurors found Timothy Jones Jr. guilty on all counts of killing his five children.
They reached their verdict Tuesday afternoon after six hours of deliberation.
The prosecution and the defense presented their closing arguments for most of the Monday. After getting instructions from the judge, the jury went back into their room to begin making their decision. They resumed Tuesday morning.
The jury has four options: they can find Jones guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity, guilty but mentally ill, or not guilty.
Closing Arguments:
“A child should feel safe in his father’s arms.”
That is how lead by Solicitor Rick Hubbard began the state’s closing arguments in the trial of Timothy Jones Jr in Lexington County Court.
Hubbard reminded jurors that “There is no question that he killed his babies. In (Jones’) own words he says, ‘Part of me says no father should do this to his children, part of me says f--k it they’re already dead.'"
The question jurors must ask, Hubbard says, is the following: is Jones a murderer or truly insane?
While there are four possible outcomes— the jury could find Jones guilty, guilty by reason of insanity, not guilty by mental defect, or not guilty — to the jurors, Hubbard says the case boils down to finding Jones either guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity.
The lead prosecutor asks the jury to consider the expert witness testimony presented in the trial. He asks them to consider if the experts for the defense are looking for the truth or looking for a defense.
He then goes into summarizing the mental health professionals that testified in Jones’ defense:
- Dr. Agharkar “the $25,000 doctor from Atlanta” said Jones had a brain injury; the doctor could tell if a person is medicated
- Dr. Lipman, “the drug expert,” talked about Spice; his opinion was based on assumption (based on another’s diagnosis) that Jones had an underlying mental illness and drugs were exacerbating it; Lipman didn’t know doctor prescribing Geodone may have over-prescribed
- Dr. Wood dealt with worst of the worst at SC Corrections, pumped up Geodone dosage
- Dr. Snyder looked at MRIs, tenuous link to schizophrenia
- Dr. Biblier, like Cruz, had model and 3D model of brain and explained functions of the brain; had traumatic brain injury and would expect to see issues; could not diagnose from scans; after all the show, “Mr Jones had a broken brain,” but couldn’t show why
- Dr. Brawley did testing, all experts relied on her test results. Did not testify, because when she conducted tests, Jones was heavily medicated in 2016; gave him low IQ — to a summa cum laude
- Jones was functioning
- Dr. Frierson said somethings wrong, doesn’t fit; does another battery of tests, not just cognitive, but for personality and underlying psychosis; when evaluating, gave Jones a lot of credit — voices were anxious thoughts and Jones knew what he was doing;
- When Jones didn’t call 911, it was because he knew he might get arrested — understood
- Calls to Elhke and lies, “looking for a fresh start” — understood
- Googled dumps and made plans for Mexican border — understood
- Took time to make purchases at Walmart in order to destroy evidence — understood
- Told Mississippi law enforcement officers about voices — a lie?
Frierson gives Jones and excuse of paranoia with killing Nahtahn, but no excuse for other four. Voluntary consumption of drugs is not a defense (Jones admits to smoking Spice) The murder of the other four children were a conscious decision;
- Dr. Cruz made sure Jones was responsive before testing; her tests look at all areas of the brain. No problems in testing, Jones’ brain is OK — proving it in his life, with work, school; scientific, objective testing; all show no schizo-effective disorder, no schizophrenia — but there are hints at malingering; personality test Jones self-diagnoses multiple symptoms of psychosis and makes Cruz believe that Jones has a personality of a disorder — borderline; anti-social behavior
- Dr. Dorney was looking for a mixed delusion to diagnose Jones. Could not give a delusion, not schizophrenia, not a psychosis, ignores Cruz’s report; acknowledged she had it but ignored it in favor of Brawley’s. Dorney testified that Jones didn’t know it was legally wrong to punish Nahtahn physically — even though DSS had a safety plan in place that stated Jones was not to touch the children, no corporal punishment: she said that Jones knew other 4 were unlawful — but not morally wrong because he was sending them home to Jesus (Frierson said that was a rationalization for his actions). Who does Jones later say he’s sorry of he was morally right?
Why didn’t defense experts do that type of testing?
Defense has not proved Jones is insane.
Who do you think came in and made sense? Frierson looked at all evidence, read everything, spent 20 hours with Jones, asked for raw data from Cruz
Jones knew moral and legal right from wrong on Aug, 28, 2014.
Tim Jones Jr could hold a grudge, is focused on himself — who does he think about on Aug 28? If you have any doubt, Jones answered it for you, after a prolonged period of punishing N, he took time to download a rape scene and watches it’
Jones’ actions were obscene, outrageous, and legally and morally wrong
“It was choices, not voices.”
Hubbard then summarizes the events of August 28, 2014.
He tells the jury that Jones didn’t bury the children — he didn’t buy shovel when he went shopping at Walmart—but left the children’s bodies in bags, “left them in bags knowing nature would take its course.”
The solicitor ended his argument by saying that her was “Seeking one thing in this case — justice. I speak for those who can’t. I have a unique role to speak for the dead. They didn’t deserve this.
“They didn’t deserve this.
“They deserve justice.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>> THE DEFENSE CLOSES: ATTORNEY BOYD YOUNG
“Killing children that you love is insane,” Young begins his closing arguments for Tim Jones defense.
The attorney says that every psychiatrist who met with Tim said he was psychotic, just disagreed as a definite diagnosis.
Young told the jury that after the unintentional death of Nahtahn, Jones thought “the kids were going to be like me… they were better off in heaven.”
Young: “You can’t rationalize crazy.”
At the time Jones thought that killing his children was the right thing to do — in his diseased mind thought it was condoned by God.
In Jones’ diseased mind, he thought the children were better off in heaven —he did not appreciate moral right from wrong and therefore Jones must be insane.
Young wants the jury to look at Tim Jones’ whole life, and reminds them that Dr. Frierson testified that Jones needs to believe he’s insane in order to live with what he did.
Young: where do you start Tim’s story? You start with genetics, his family, his mother’s illness. Schizophrenia is highly genetically-passed disease; Jones has 20 other family members with mental disease.
Consider Tim’s environment while being raised in one of violence, neglect, and abuse; all are conditions that increase the odds of developing schizophrenia.
Tim’s already fragile brain was further damaged with skull fracture from accident at 15. Jones didn’t choose his environment, genetics or the car accident.
Young asked the jury to remember
Dr. Briker’s testimony of a broken brain
Agahgkar’s testimony that people with brain injury can come off as being a jerk.
Teenage experimentation with marijuana can increase chances of developing schizophrenia
Tim Jones’ father said Tim Jr went from nerd to someone with an I-don’t-care attitude not long after the accident; Young says that is indicative of brain injury.
Young also recounts Jones’ life after moving to South Carolina and the incidents leading up to Aug. 28, 2014:
When school ended in 2014, the normal childhood problems kids have seem to Tim to be his fault — he hasn’t driven the evil out of the children, blames himself and becomes more strict with kids. He claims his “disease” getting worse.
According to Young, Tim believes he is told by God that he has to punish the kids — “I don’t beat my kids, I give them parental correction.”
After the children’s school calls DSS, case workers from DSS don’t send Jone to a parenting class, they close the case. The kids taken care of by the babysitter Christine Ehkle who testified that Jones has strange ideas, weird habits, etc…symptoms, Young says, of schizophrenia
“What matters is what Tim believed in his depraved and damaged mind.”
He believed Amber didn’t want kids.
When on Aug, 7, DSS comes back to the Jones home, Tim doesn’t know who called and reported him — was it his children conspiring against him or someone else? Young says its a sign that his disease was coming out.
When Jones’ work was suffering, and he began using Chantix… Young said that professionals have testified that if you have an underlying mental illness and using drugs, it exacerbates the problem.
Young asks “What information did the State block?”
Why would Tim give so much damaging information but lie about anything else.
Why would Tim search for a place that does not extradite but not go to one? He drove by airports that could have taken him away.
If he’s so smart and capable why couldn’t he escape? Why is he still here?
Young says Jones was spending time, grieving with his children. After almost 9 days with the kids decomposing in the car — thats insane.
This mastermind, says Young, this evil genius, after pulling out the battery in the cell phone so no-one knows where he is, pays for gas and lunch with a credit card with his name on it — that’s not rational, that’s insane.
The day after Tim’s arrest, in and interview on Sept 7, Jones rants about voices in the head. The State says he’s coming down from drugs — but they didn’t tape the interview. You have to take the State’s word for it.
On Sept 8, if its all Spice induced and Jones is so much better, then why is he still talking about voices and delusions — Young says it is still psychosis, a break from reality.
Jones always maintained that Nahtahn’s death was an accident.
He killed the four others to save them from a worse fate of being in a life without parents and a history of mental disease.
Jones’ behavior when leading law enforcement officials to the bodies of his children is not natural — Tim says its his fault, didn’t blame anyone else.
Dr Woods puts him on Geodone when he gets into Kirkland on Sept 12 and continues to Lee County Correctional, Tim is taking such high doses that someone who is not ill couldn’t handle it. She diagnoses schizo-neurotic disorder
Aghakar notices Jones’ pressured speech — a symptom of schizophrenia.
Frierson said Tim felt morally justified but asked for forgiveness — the doctor thinks Spice made him psychotic — and ultimately didn’t think Tim was malingering
“When you think of mental illness you think of the loss of the ability to reason.”
Young finishes: “Killing someone out of hatred is murder; killing children you love is insane.”
Jones has been seen wiping away tears during Young’s presentation. Members of Tim Jones’ family hug and cry after Young finishes his argument.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> CHARGING THE JURY
At 4pm, Circuit Judge Eugene Griffith Jr explained the charges and the duty of the jury and appoints a forewoman.
Judge Griffith explains that Jones has plead guilty but goes through the trial with the assumption of innocence unless the State has proved guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In the case of Nahtahn’s death, the jury may consider involuntary manslaughter.
The verdict must be unanimous.
Jury begins deliberation.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> THE CHARGES
Jones has admitted to killing his children — Abigail Elaine, 1; Gabriel, 2; Nahtahn, 6; Elias, 7; and Mera Gracie, 8 — on Aug. 28, 2014, after picking them up from school and daycare. The killings took place at the family home at 2155-B South Lake Dr. in Red Bank.
He was arrested on Sept. 6, 2014, after a traffic safety stop in Smith County, Mississippi, during which law enforcement officers discovered blood and handwritten notes on how to mutilate bodies in Jones’ car. Jones had left the children’s bodies in plastic trash bags in a wooded area outside of Camden, Alabama, earlier that day. He had been traveling throughout the South with the bodies in the back of his car since Aug. 28.
Jones has pled not guilty by reason of insanity. His guilty plea allows for one of four possible outcomes. The jury can find Jones guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity, guilty but mentally ill, or not guilty.
If found guilty, in the sentencing stage, the death penalty would not be automatic. Jurors would be asked to consider extenuating circumstances and could sentence Jones to life without parole rather than death.