In the bright daylight of a Tuesday in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the sound of nearly a dozen gunshots shattered the morning calm on June 6, 2023. When the chaos subsided, 38-year-old Anthony Jones, a local man, was found lying in the street near the Calvary United Methodist Church. He had been shot multiple times, first in the head and then in the face. Emergency responders rushed him to a nearby hospital, but his injuries proved fatal.
Witnesses described a harrowing scene, with one woman running to Jones's side, screaming in anguish. The community was left shaken by the brazen violence that had unfolded on their streets.
The investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police quickly identified a person of interest, and within days, they arrested a suspect who was shockingly young. Antonyo Owens, a 14-year-old boy, was taken into custody and charged with criminal homicide. Police stated that Owens and Jones knew each other and that Jones had been specifically targeted. The case took another stunning turn over a year later, in July 2024, when the Fayette County District Attorney announced charges against a second man, Calvin Jay Huffman. The prosecution alleged that the seemingly straightforward street murder was actually a calculated murder-for-hire plot.
According to the district attorney, Calvin Huffman, who was 38 at the time charges were filed, had an ongoing dispute with Anthony Jones concerning narcotics. Investigators believe Huffman orchestrated the killing by paying the young Antonyo Owens to carry out the 'execution.' The price for Jones's life was allegedly $5,000 in cash and three bags of marijuana. Huffman was charged with a slate of serious crimes, including solicitation to commit murder, corruption of minors, and hindering apprehension. Citing the 'complete disregard for human life,' the district attorney's office announced its intention to seek the death penalty for Huffman.
As the legal process moves forward, both suspects face grave consequences. Antonyo Owens, now 16, will be tried as an adult after a judge denied a request to move his case to juvenile court, noting his history of aggressive behavior and a 'callousness for the value of human life.' Huffman's case is also proceeding through the court system. The family of Anthony Jones remembers him as a man who was loved by children in the neighborhood and stood against gun violence, a stark contrast to the violent end he met.
