In December 1992, the body of **Mary Edwards**, a 41-year-old Black female from Los Angeles, was discovered in South Los Angeles. Her body was found strangled and partially nude on the 9700 block of South Figueroa Street. At the time of her death, Mary was 41, and authorities characterized her as a Black woman living in a neighborhood that had unfortunately seen multiple violent crimes in that era.
Following her death, local police initially arrested **David Allen Jones**, a 28-year-old
Black male, who was accused of Mary's murder along with two others from the same period. Jones, a part-time janitor, confessed under police interrogation—without having legal representation—and was convicted in 1995. He was sentenced to 36 years to life, though doubts later surrounded the reliability of his confession and the strength of the case against him.
Years after Jones's conviction, DNA evidence was re-examined using more advanced techniques. This forensic reevaluation linked the crime scenes—including Mary Edwards's murder—to **Chester Turner**, a convicted serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper. Turner, a Black male from Los Angeles, had previously been convicted in 2007 of eleven murders and later charged in 2011 with four additional homicides, including that of Mary Edwards. His link to Mary's case was established through DNA matched from evidence collected at the scene.
In 2014, Turner was convicted of murdering Mary Edwards, among other victims, and received another death sentence. The case has since triggered renewed questions about systemic flaws in the criminal justice process—particularly regarding coerced confessions and flawed convictions that affected Black individuals like David Jones. Mary's death is now officially tied to Turner, who remains on death row at San Quentin State Prison.
