Rodney Gerrard Jones, a 42-year-old Black man known as a "strong guy" to his loved ones, was a personal trainer and a dedicated family man with a large and loving family in Tampa, Florida. He was a father to two sons, both named Rodney, and a grandfather. His family, which included his mother, stepmother, and fiancée, was central to his life. He was living in Tampa with his stepmother at the time of his death.
In the early hours of Memorial Day, May 31, 2010, Jones was leaving the Cotton Club Bar on North Albany Avenue in West Tampa. At approximately 2:30 a.m., as he was getting into his vehicle, he was ambushed. Two men approached him, and he was shot and killed during what prosecutors described as an attempted robbery. His family, including his fiancée, rushed to the scene after hearing the devastating news. His uncle, Kenneth Williams, described the horrific sight, stating, "They shot him in the face."
He remembered his nephew as a strong personal trainer who stood no chance against gunmen. Williams expressed his anger and grief, assuming the perpetrators were "punks" who wanted to take "what others worked for."
The investigation into Rodney Jones's murder was handled by the Tampa Police Department. The case was soon linked to a string of violent crimes that terrorized the Tampa area over a two-month period. The man responsible was identified as Dontae Rashawn Morris. Morris's crime spree would later include the murders of two Tampa police officers, David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab, which triggered one of the largest manhunts in the city's history. Investigators found that Morris had been at the Cotton Club that night and had seen Jones with a large amount of cash. A medical examiner testified that the bullet tore through Jones's jugular and carotid artery.
The trial for the murder of Rodney Jones was the first of several for Dontae Morris and began in July 2012. Due to the extensive pre-trial publicity surrounding Morris's other alleged crimes, a jury was selected in Orlando and brought to Hillsborough County. During the trial, a witness testified that Morris had confessed to her over the phone, stating he had made a "mistake" and killed Jones. Another witness, a detention deputy, testified that he overheard Morris in his jail cell say, "I repent for killing." Prosecutors also presented text messages where Morris attempted to create an alibi with his girlfriend for the night of the murder.
In March 2013, the jury found Dontae Morris guilty of first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 25 years for the attempted robbery. After the verdict, Jones's sister spoke about the family's profound loss and the brutal nature of his death. "I would not want anyone, not even Dontae Morris or his family, to experience what we experienced," she said. "The manner in which he died... we put our pets down with more care and more love." The family had asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence of life without parole.
Dontae Morris was later convicted for three other murders, including those of the two police officers, and received two death sentences and another life sentence. The conviction in Rodney Jones's case brought a measure of justice to his grieving family, but it marked only the beginning of the legal reckoning for a man whose violent rampage left a deep and lasting scar on the Tampa community. As of March 2013, the case was officially closed with the conviction and sentencing of his killer.
