Police made a gruesome discovery after a 2019 standoff with a New York man wanted for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend. They also found the body of his mother in a closet.
At a court hearing Wednesday, 24-year-old Charles Jones, admitted killing both women.
Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn called the crimes “heinous” and “brutal.”
“Both women were stabbed numerous times by this defendant, who left their lifeless bodies in bloody crime scenes that were discovered days after their tragic deaths,” Flynn said in a release. “I hope that the families of both victims feel that justice has been served by this defendant pleading guilty to all charges and our prosecutors requesting that he receive the maximum sentence for committing these gruesome crimes.”
Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, the District Attorney’s Office announced. He pleaded guilty, as charged, to all counts in the indictment against him.
Jones, being held without bail. Hefaces a maximum of 50 years to life in prison when sentenced by Erie County Judge Sheila A. DiTullio.
Jones admitted killing his ex-girlfriend, 25-year-old Jacquetta Lee, inside her apartment on Main Street near Heath Street. After her family reported her missing, she was found in the bathroom of her apartment on July 18, 2019. Approximately three days after she was killed.
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On August 16, 2019, Buffalo homicide detectives with a warrant for Jones’ arrest arrived at the apartment of Jones’ mother, 52-year-old Alethia Atwood Williams, on Jefferson Avenue near East Ferry Street.
Jones wouldn’t open the door. Detectives called the SWAT and Crisis Management Team to the scene. Three hours later, Jones surrendered.
SWAT officers smelled a strong and foul odor when they entered the apartment to search for evidence and weapons. They found the body of Jones’ mother in a closet. Williams, who hadn’t been seen in several weeks, had been dead more than three weeks.
In its release, the DA’s Office did not mention the February 2018 death of 10-month-old Royalty Ava Lee-Jones, the daughter of Lee and Jones.
With the killings of Lee and Williams, investigators took a renewed look at the child’s death. At the time, Flynn described the medical examiner’s ruling on the cause of death of Lee-Jones as being “complications of a traumatic brain injury.”
He has previously said he would not get into further specifics about that case during the investigation.
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