In the quiet, early morning hours of a Saturday in April 2019, the community of Burton, South Carolina, was disturbed by an act of violence that would claim the life of Clinton Robinson. A Black male, 36 years of age, Robinson was fatally shot outside a residence on Laurel Street East. When deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene around 2 a.m., they found Robinson deceased.
The initial investigation revealed that an unidentified man had shot him and then fled before law enforcement could arrive, leaving behind a crime scene that investigators would meticulously process for forensic evidence. A forensic autopsy was scheduled at the Medical University of South Carolina to determine the precise cause and manner of death.
For several months, the investigation into Clinton Robinson's death continued, with authorities appealing to the public for any information that might lead to an arrest. Then, in November 2019, a significant breakthrough was announced. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office arrested a married couple, Jesse Jones Jr., then 41, and Danyelle Ohonba, in connection with Robinson's murder. The shooting had occurred outside their own home on Laurel Street East. Jones was charged with the serious offenses of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. His wife, Ohonba, faced charges of accessory after the fact, with investigators believing she had assisted Jones in concealing the crime.
The investigation uncovered that Jones and Robinson were acquainted, though the specific nature of their relationship and the motive for the shooting were not immediately made public. A key piece of evidence that led to the arrests was a DNA match between Jesse Jones Jr. and evidence collected from the crime scene. This crucial link, combined with information gathered through witness interviews, pointed to Jones as the individual who had shot Robinson.
Following their arrests, both Jesse Jones Jr. and Danyelle Ohonba were booked at the Beaufort County Detention Center. The charges they faced carried the potential for lengthy prison sentences. A murder conviction in South Carolina could result in a sentence of 30 years to life in prison, while the accessory charge against Ohonba was punishable by up to 15 years. Publicly available court documents indicated that the murder case against Jesse Jay Jones Jr. was still active as of July 2023. However, the final disposition of the charges against both him and his wife, including details of any trial, conviction, or sentencing, has not been made publicly available in online sources.
