On a summer day in Columbus, Georgia, tragedy struck when 44-year-old Stanford Duane Jones was found shot to death inside his Mellon Street residence on August 10, 2018. The grim discovery launched a homicide investigation that would eventually lead to the arrest and conviction of two men.
Authorities identified Curtis “Baby C” Williams III and Jeffery “Red” Flakes Jr. as the primary suspects in the case.
Investigators determined that the motive for the killing was robbery, with the perpetrators targeting Jones for cash and drugs. Evidence presented during the subsequent trial revealed that Jones had set up a surveillance system in his home, which ultimately played a key role in identifying his killers. The footage reportedly showed Williams entering the home first, followed by Flakes, who was seen wearing surgical gloves and brandishing a pistol. Williams then allegedly opened the door for Flakes, and both men went inside. Following the shooting, the surveillance equipment was disconnected as the assailants ransacked the house.
In November 2020, a grand jury indicted both Williams, then 37, and Flakes, then 33, on charges of malice murder, felony murder for a killing that occurred during the commission of an aggravated assault, and armed robbery. Their trial commenced in October 2022 in Judge Gil McBride's courtroom.
After hearing the evidence, a jury found both Curtis Williams III and Jeffery Flakes Jr. guilty of the murder of Stanford Jones. Williams was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jeffery Flakes Jr. also received a life sentence, but with the possibility of parole.
