In the quiet early hours of a September morning in Memphis, Tennessee, a palpable sense of unease settled over a home on Amarillo Street. Inside, the lives of a beloved grandmother and her son had been tragically cut short. Martha Jean Jones, a 73-year-old African American woman, and her 53-year-old son, Ronald Jones, were found shot to death in their residence on September 12, 2021.
The grim discovery was made by Martha's grandson, who immediately alerted the authorities.
When police arrived at the Cherokee Park area home shortly after midnight, they were met with a scene that spoke of immense violence. The responding officer noted the distinct smell of gunsmoke lingering in the air, a grim testament to the recent events that had transpired. Martha Jones's body was found in the hallway, while her son Ronald was located in a bedroom. Investigators determined that both had been shot multiple times. There were no signs of forced entry into the home, suggesting the perpetrator was likely someone known to the victims.
The initial report came from Martha's 21-year-old grandson, Andre Jones, who claimed to have found his father and grandmother upon returning from a trip to a nearby store. However, as detectives from the Memphis Police Department delved deeper into the case, inconsistencies in his account began to emerge. A review of security camera footage from the neighborhood did not show anyone entering or leaving the residence during the timeframe Andre Jones had provided.
The investigation soon focused on the grandson himself. A search of Andre Jones's bedroom uncovered crucial evidence linking him to the murders. Investigators found live ammunition that matched the shell casings discovered near the bodies of his grandmother and father. They also located a handgun with blood on it and an empty magazine. Based on this evidence, Andre Christopher Jones was arrested and subsequently indicted by a grand jury. He faced two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony. Following the indictment, he was held without bond in the Shelby County Jail, leaving a family and community to grapple with the devastating loss of two of its members, allegedly at the hands of their own kin.
