Whew. SMH.
I do wonder if the ~father~ was the main abuser of that beautiful little boy, or if the ~mother~ was the main abuser. She was with him while the son and ~father~ were at work. Certainly both of them contributed to his horrible home situation. Just glad they are being sentenced soon. IMO each of them should receive LWOP.
So what happens to the surviving older brother? Maybe he can be counseled and go to school, and possibly get through this horror without too much baggage. He is a victim, too, IMO.
Felony Murder in Illinois - -
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A conviction for felony-murder in Illinois carries a penalty of 20 to 60 years imprisonment and, under some circumstances, the maximum penalty can be extended to a term of natural life. This same maximum and minimum sentence is available to juveniles and young adults who are disproportionately impacted by the felony-murder rule, as they are more likely to act in groups (or “co-offend”) and are more susceptible to peer pressure.
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More here at the source:
In Illinois, a person can be charged and convicted of first-degree murder—a conviction that carries a minimum sentence of twenty years and, under certain circumstances, a maximum sentence of natural life—even if they did not actually kill the victim or intend to commit the murder.
www.restorejustice.org
the texts between Walker and Jones are horrible. No matter who was the ringleader in the situation it is clear they were both well aware of what little Navin was suffering. I wish they'd just returned him to his gramma. They only wanted him for the additional income in the form of benefits
MOO
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After much deliberation between the two sides, jurors were shown text message conversations taken from the phone of Stephanie Jones, Navin’s mother. Jones, 31, pleaded guilty last week to one count of first-degree murder.
The messages were sent to a contact labeled “Babe,” that appeared to refer to Walker. The dates ranged from Sept. 16, 2021 to Feb. 18, 2022.
The conversations include Jones telling Walker she was going to withhold food as a punishment after Navin told two people he was hungry. She also referenced restraining the boy multiple times.
Jones and Walker also discussed Navin’s behavior, with Jones often complaining that she was annoyed with the boy. The two would discuss how to punish him.
Texts between Navin Jones' parents, testimony from DCFS worker heard at Walker murder trial
Rezac then testified about several text messages in the fall of 2021 and early in 2022, where the person who owned the phone, Stephanie Jones. She repeatedly texted Brandon Walker about Navin and his behavior. Jones is clearly irritated that Navin is always wanting to eat and that he’s urinating on the wall and the floor.
Jones complained about how difficult the young boy was being and repeatedly indicated he or she was worried about losing their cool.
“He should have woken me up and I would have opened the door. his excuse was that he didn’t want to wake me up,” one of the messages said.
Repeatedly, the owner of the phone, likely Jones, then talks about punishing Navin by tying him to a banister or forcing him downstairs without pillows or blankets. At one point, Jones asks if she can leave the little boy downstairs whenever she’s sleeping or gone.
In response, Brandon Walker, aka “Babe,” says okay and makes a flirtatious comment.
Both Walker and Jones express disgust in their text messages that Navin was eating food out of the trash. And when Jones wanted to punish the little boy for that, Walker seemingly agreed based upon his comments.
Brandon Walker Day 3 Trial Blog: Texts between parents show anger towards Navin
