Jarmelle 'JoJo' Jones, a 26-year-old man from Memphis, Tennessee, was fatally shot on November 28, 2014, during a violent home invasion in Cordova. Jones, a graduate of the University of Memphis where he had been a student manager for the basketball team, was an entrepreneur with a hair extensions business. The incident occurred as Jones and his girlfriend were returning to his mother's home. They were ambushed by two men wearing masks who forced their way inside and demanded money. Jones was shot in the chest while attempting to disarm one of the intruders, and his girlfriend was wounded in the leg. The assailants fled the scene in Jones's Dodge Charger after taking money and a cellphone. The vehicle was later found burning in the Raleigh area.
The investigation into the murder of Jarmelle Jones initially went cold. However, in 2016, a break in the case led to the indictment of two men, Thaddeus Money and Rafael Farmer, on charges including first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and attempted first-degree murder. A third suspect, Terrance Harris, was later arrested in Minnesota and extradited to Memphis to face a first-degree murder charge. Investigators revealed that the suspects had extensive criminal histories.
During the trial of Thaddeus Money, prosecutors argued that he and Rafael Farmer had targeted Jones and his girlfriend after seeing social media posts about their recent lavish vacation to New York. In a significant development, Farmer testified against Money, admitting that they had committed the robbery together. In December 2021, a Shelby County jury found Thaddeus Money guilty of first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, and other related charges. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison. The trials for the other two men charged in the case were reported to be pending. For years, Jones's family and friends sought justice, and a $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest.
