On a tragic Wednesday morning, September 14, 2011, the life of 26-year-old Brandice Marie Jones was cut short in a violent act that stunned the community of Laurel, Maryland. A devoted mother to her four children, Jadelyn, Shane, London, and Markell, Jones was fatally shot outside of her apartment building on Shiloh Court. The attack occurred in the morning as she was getting out of her car.
In a harrowing detail, her young son was present and witnessed the horrific event.
The perpetrator was identified as 38-year-old Javan Terrance Abney of Washington, D.C. Shortly after shooting Jones multiple times, Abney fled the scene. His escape was brief, however, as police discovered him approximately ten minutes later in his vehicle, located about a quarter of a mile away from the initial crime scene. Abney was found to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, turning the investigation into a case of murder-suicide.
The Laurel community, which had not experienced a homicide in two years, was left to mourn the loss of a young mother described by friends and family as a beautiful, kind, and loving spirit. Her death was a profound loss for her parents, Tonya and Robbin Crawford, Sr., her siblings, and a wide circle of relatives and friends who remembered her warmth and vibrant personality.
