Robert Glen Jones Jr.: The 1996 Arizona Murder Spree
Background
Robert Glen Jones Jr. was an American murderer responsible for seven killings committed during a violent series of armed robberies in Arizona in 1996. Born on December 25, 1969, Jones carried out six murders in Tucson with accomplice Scott Douglas Nordstrom before participating in a seventh killing in Phoenix with another man, Stephen Coats. Although Jones is sometimes described as a serial killer, the closely connected nature and short duration of the crimes have also caused him to be classified as a spree or mass murderer.
The murders took place between May and August 1996 and were driven primarily by robbery. Jones and his accomplices targeted businesses and a private residence, killing victims who could identify them or interfere with their attempts to steal money and property. The evidence presented during his prosecution showed that the victims were not killed during uncontrolled struggles. Several were deliberately positioned or forced to comply before being shot at close range.
The Moon Smoke Shop Murders
Jones and Scott Nordstrom began their known killing spree on May 30, 1996, at the Moon Smoke Shop in Tucson. Nordstrom’s brother, David Nordstrom, accompanied them and served as the getaway driver. Jones and Scott entered the business armed with handguns and immediately began controlling the customers and employees inside.
Clarence “Chip” Odell III, a 47-year-old customer, was shot in the head by Jones. Jones also shot several employees who had been ordered to lie on the floor. One wounded employee survived, while another escaped from the building after hearing the gunfire. Scott Nordstrom pursued employee Thomas Hardman into a back area of the shop, forced him to lie facedown and shot him twice in the back of the head.
After the shootings, the attackers took money from a cash register and fled in the pickup truck driven by David Nordstrom. The robbery left two people dead and others injured or traumatized. Survivors were able to provide investigators with descriptions of the gunmen, but the identities of Jones and the Nordstrom brothers were not immediately established.
The Firefighters Union Hall Murders
Two weeks later, on June 13, 1996, Jones and Scott Nordstrom entered a firefighters union hall on East Benson Highway in Tucson. Bartender Carol Lynn Noel was working behind the bar, while Arthur “Taco” Bell, his wife Judy Bell and Maribeth Munn were seated nearby as customers.
Jones ordered the three customers to bend forward and place their faces against the bar. He then moved behind them and shot each victim in the back of the head at close range. Evidence indicated that Arthur Bell was also struck in the head with a handgun. The deliberate positioning of the victims demonstrated that the shootings were executions rather than impulsive violence during a confrontation.
Scott Nordstrom confronted Carol Noel and demanded access to a safe. When she could not open it, he assaulted and shot her. All four victims died inside the union hall. Jones and Nordstrom stole approximately $1,300 from an open cash register before fleeing. Investigators recovered ammunition and shell casings from two different types of handguns, supporting the conclusion that both men had fired weapons during the massacre.
The Murder of Richard Roels
On August 23, 1996, Jones participated in another fatal robbery, this time in Phoenix with Stephen Coats. Their victim was Richard Roels, a 58-year-old retired newspaper executive. Roels was attacked inside his central Phoenix home and killed by a gunshot wound to the head.
Jones and Coats stole Roels’s credit cards and other property. They then used the stolen cards to make purchases, including pizza and cowboy boots. Those transactions created an electronic trail that allowed investigators to locate the two men at a motel. When officers attempted to apprehend them, Jones and Coats fled, leading police on a vehicle pursuit followed by a foot chase. Both men were eventually captured.
The Roels investigation placed Jones in police custody and exposed his involvement in an extremely serious homicide. His connection to the Tucson murders emerged after David Nordstrom contacted authorities and disclosed his own role as the getaway driver. David identified Jones and Scott Nordstrom as the two gunmen responsible for the Moon Smoke Shop and firefighters union hall killings.
Known Victims
- Clarence “Chip” Odell III, 47 — Killed on May 30, 1996, during the robbery of the Moon Smoke Shop in Tucson, Arizona. Jones shot Odell in the head at close range.
- Thomas Hardman, 26 — Killed on May 30, 1996, at the Moon Smoke Shop in Tucson. Scott Nordstrom followed Hardman into a rear portion of the business, forced him facedown and shot him twice in the back of the head.
- Arthur “Taco” Bell, 54 — Killed on June 13, 1996, during the robbery of the firefighters union hall on East Benson Highway in Tucson. Jones forced Bell to place his head against the bar before shooting him in the head.
- Judy Bell, 46 — Killed on June 13, 1996, at the firefighters union hall in Tucson. She was seated at the bar with her husband when Jones shot her in the head at close range.
- Maribeth Munn, 53 — Killed on June 13, 1996, at the firefighters union hall in Tucson. Jones ordered her forward against the bar and then shot her in the head.
- Carol Lynn Noel, 50 — Killed on June 13, 1996, while working as the bartender at the firefighters union hall in Tucson. She was assaulted and shot by Scott Nordstrom after being unable to open a safe.
- Richard Roels, 58 — Killed on August 23, 1996, inside his home in central Phoenix, Arizona. Jones and Stephen Coats robbed Roels, shot him in the head and used his stolen credit cards after the murder.
Investigation and Arrests
The Tucson cases were difficult to solve because Jones and Scott Nordstrom had escaped before police could identify them. The Moon Smoke Shop survivors supplied useful information, and investigators gathered ballistic evidence from both Tucson crime scenes, but the decisive development came when David Nordstrom approached the authorities.
David admitted driving the getaway vehicle during the Moon Smoke Shop robbery and identified his brother and Jones as the killers. His information allowed investigators to connect the same men to the four union hall murders. David ultimately cooperated with prosecutors and testified about the planning and execution of the robberies.
Jones was already being held for the Phoenix murder when prosecutors charged him with the six Tucson killings. Scott and David Nordstrom were arrested in January 1997. Jones was formally indicted for the Tucson murders in July 1997, setting the stage for a capital murder trial.
Trial and Convictions
Jones’s trial for the Tucson crimes began on June 17, 1998. Prosecutors presented survivor testimony, physical evidence and David Nordstrom’s account of the robberies. They argued that Jones and Scott Nordstrom entered the businesses prepared to eliminate witnesses and used execution-style shootings to prevent resistance or identification.
On June 26, 1998, the jury found Jones guilty of six counts of first-degree murder. He was also convicted of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and burglary. On December 7, 1998, Jones received six death sentences, one for each person murdered in Tucson.
In the separate Phoenix case, Jones pleaded guilty to murdering Richard Roels and received a life sentence. Stephen Coats was also sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the Roels robbery and killing. Scott Nordstrom was convicted of the six Tucson murders and likewise received death sentences.
Appeals and Execution
Jones remained on Arizona’s death row for approximately 15 years while his convictions and sentences were reviewed through the appeals process. The Arizona Supreme Court upheld his convictions and death sentences, and later state and federal challenges failed to overturn the judgment.
Arizona officials executed Robert Glen Jones Jr. by lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence on October 23, 2013. He was 43 years old. Several relatives of the victims attended the execution. Jones did not offer an apology or discuss the murders in his final statement, instead expressing love and respect for his friends and family.
Legacy of the Crimes
Jones’s crimes remain among the most severe episodes of robbery-related mass murder in Arizona history. Seven people were killed during three robberies over a period of less than three months. Six of the victims were attacked while visiting or working inside public businesses, while the seventh was killed in the privacy of his own home.
The murders were distinguished by their calculated and impersonal nature. Jones and his accomplices repeatedly used lethal violence against compliant victims, including people who had been ordered to lie down or rest their heads against a bar. Their willingness to execute witnesses for relatively small amounts of money demonstrated the extreme danger they presented.
The eventual prosecution depended on a combination of survivor accounts, ballistic evidence, stolen credit-card transactions and testimony from an accomplice. Jones’s arrest after the Phoenix murder prevented the possibility of additional crimes and ultimately allowed authorities to hold him responsible for all seven deaths.
