On the morning of May 31, 2016, residents near a quiet burial ground in Greenville, South Carolina, were awakened to a grim discovery that prompted an immediate homicide investigation. Authorities were called to the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, where the body of a man was found lying on the grounds. The victim was identified as Demetrius Lamon Jones, a 42-year-old Black male known to his friends and family by the nickname "Meaty."
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and determined that Jones had died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
The discovery rattled the local community, particularly those living adjacent to the cemetery. Melissa VanHoose, a resident whose home backed up to the property, reported seeing the police activity from her bathroom window, a sight she described as unsettling for her family. Friends of the victim expressed disbelief at the violence; Ricky Webb, who had grown up with Jones, told reporters that he could not understand why anyone would harm him. Webb described Jones as a friendly individual who would have given the shirt off his back to someone in need, calling the act of leaving his body in a cemetery "beyond cruel."
In the days following the shooting, the Greenville community and the Jones family mourned the loss of a father, son, and brother. Jones was survived by his parents, Jimmy Lee Jones and Phyllis Lloyd Jones, as well as his four children—Demetria, Ebony, Serenity, and Demetrius II. A funeral service was subsequently scheduled at the Watkins, Garrett & Woods Mortuary to honor his life.
Despite the swift response from law enforcement and the public outcry from those who knew him, investigators initially struggled to identify a perpetrator. In the immediate aftermath of the crime, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office stated that they had no suspects in custody. While detectives worked to piece together the events that led to Jones being shot and left in the cemetery, no arrests were reported at the time, leaving the motive behind the killing unclear and the case open as investigators sought leads from the public.
