In the early summer of 2021, a 28-year-old Black/African American woman, Janesa Lashay Harris, was found dead in her St. Cloud, Minnesota, apartment. A property manager discovered her body on June 2, 2021, in her residence on the 1400 block of 12th Avenue North. An autopsy would later determine that she had died from a gunshot wound on or around May 31st. Her family described her as a loving and outgoing person with a good heart who had moved to St.
Cloud from Milwaukee.
The investigation into Janesa's death soon became entangled with another homicide. The day after Janesa's body was found, the body of another woman, 25-year-old Keisa Marie Lange, was discovered on the side of a road in St. Cloud. Police noted "notable similarities" between the two killings, as both women had been shot to death. This connection led investigators to focus on a single suspect involved in both tragic events.
The central figure in this dark series of events was Angela Renee Jones. Jones had a prior relationship with Janesa, who had reportedly helped care for Jones and her children. However, Jones had expressed that she no longer wanted Janesa in her life. In the late hours of June 1st or early on June 2nd, Jones went to Janesa's apartment. An argument broke out between the two, which tragically ended with Jones shooting Janesa in the mouth and fleeing the scene.
It soon became clear that Keisa Lange's murder was directly connected to Janesa's. Lange was believed to have had knowledge of Janesa's killing, and text messages shown in court suggested that she might "talk too much." Angela Jones was present when another individual, Deantae Demond Davis, fatally shot Lange. Jones later admitted to being in the car when Lange was killed and helping to clean up the evidence afterward.
After a thorough investigation, Angela Renee Jones was indicted for Janesa's murder. She eventually entered an Alford plea of guilty to second-degree murder, a plea that allows a defendant to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors have enough evidence to secure a conviction. For the murder of Janesa Lashay Harris, Jones was sentenced to 25 years in prison. She also received concurrent sentences for her role in Keisa Lange's death and for running a prostitution scheme from jail while awaiting trial. Deantae Davis was convicted for his role in Lange's murder and sentenced to life in prison.
