On September 9, 2008, police in Memphis, Tennessee responded to the scene of an apparent murder in the parking lot of a Shell gas station. Upon arriving, officers found an unresponsive female inside a blue Chevy Impala. The victim was shot three times.
They were able to identify the victim as Phyllis Malone.
Authorities noted the weapon, shell casings, and her cellphone were not present at the scene. However, Malone’s purse was inside the car. A handwritten letter found in the purse indicated the victim recently discovered she was pregnant, and the suspected father’s name was “Chancy.”
In the course of the investigation, authorities interviewed Malone’s family, friends, and neighbors, who led them to identify the alleged father as Memphis Police Officer Chancy Jones. Authorities said Jones was a respected member of the department for two years.
When questioned, Jones reluctantly admitted he was the man Malone mentioned in the letter. He also waived his Miranda rights and provided a written statement admitting he shot and killed his former mistress.
The authorities found out that Chancy and Phyllis were having an affair. Phyllis Malone first met Chancy Jones while he was on duty responding to a domestic violence call in July 2008. According to Jones, he and Malone exchanged phone numbers and were initially only friends. Jones admitted the relationship later became intimate, but he contends they never actually had intercourse.
The authorities found out that Chancy and Phyllis were having an affair. He had responded to a domestic disturbance call at her place sometime in July 2008 and had kept in touch ever since.
The intimate relationship between Jones and Malone “lasted several weeks” before she claimed she was pregnant. Malone told Jones a doctor confirmed she was pregnant. However, she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. Jones said Malone asked him for money to pay for an abortion.
Authorities believed Jones shot and killed Malone because she threatened to tell his wife about their affair and that she was pregnant with his child. Although Jones and Malone’s disagreement was prompted by a pregnancy, an autopsy revealed she was never actually pregnant. In his written statement to police, Jones said he decided to shoot Malone to keep her from going to his wife.
Prosecutor Missy Branham said, “He set up this meeting, and he went there to talk to her armed with a weapon. And he seemed to have had her blocked in to where she couldn’t go anywhere.”
Chancy Jones was ultimately found guilty of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison, which is just one year less than the maximum time. He is incarcerated at Mark H. Luttrell Correctional Center in Memphis, Tennessee. His sentence is scheduled to end in 2030.
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