GUILTY SC - Five Jones children, ages 1-8, Lexington County, 28 Aug 2014 *Father Arrested*

[YESorNO]

What’s next in the Timothy Jones murder trial? Legal experts weigh in (with clip)

June 5, 2019

"COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — The prosecution and defense are set to bring up new witnesses in the second phase of the Timothy Jones Jr. murder trial.

Some legal experts, who have been following the case closely, say the second phase of a capital murder trial is a whole new ballgame.

“There’s no question that this is an uphill fight. The sentiment, the emotion created by the death of these children is hard to overcome,” said Jack Swerling, a defense attorney based in Columbia.

Now that Timothy Jones has been convicted of murder, Swerling said the defense will have to call up a handful of witnesses to convince the jury why the defendant should not be sentenced to death.

“At this point, you would call in whatever additional experts you’d have. I would talk to teachers, go back to talk to employers, people from the church, neighborhood people, relatives. I’d expect what you’re going to see is someone going to tie it all up together,” Swerling said....

“The prosecution’s goal in the penalty phase is to discover all the good things about the victims and all the bad things about the defendant in question,” Gaines said...."

What's next in the Timothy Jones murder trial? Legal experts weigh in

 

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Watch Live: Timothy Jones on Trial in Murders of His 5 Children

 

[YESorNO]

Timothy Jones Jr. trial: how he reacted when the guilty verdict came down

Published on Jun 5, 2019

"Timothy Jones Jr. was convicted on all five murder counts against him. Reporter Jacob Reynolds describes what it was like in court as the verdict came down, and what will happen next."

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[YESorNO]

Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 1h1 hour ago
After a 24-hour "cooling off" period, we are back at the Lexington County Courthouse where the sentencing phase of the Timothy Jones Jr. murder trial begins this morning.


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 1h1 hour ago
Two of the Jones family babysitters, Christina Ehlke & Joy Lorick, are back in court today. Both testified during the first phase. The sentencing phase will begin this morning @wachfox #TimothyJones #TimothyJonesTrial


Caroline Hecker‏Verified account @CHecker_WIS 1h1 hour ago
Opening statements of the punishment phase are underway. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty and will need to prove an aggravating factor. Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mayes says the multiple deaths of minor victims are two factors. @wis10


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 1h1 hour ago
Jury has taken their seats. Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mayes delivering a statement to the jury.


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 1h1 hour ago
Mayes talks about who the "real Timothy Jones" was, saying how him not calling 9-1-1 after Nahtahn's death represents how he was.
She also describes the aggravating factors as to why the state is seeking the death penalty ("it's not about vengeance, it's about punishment."


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 1h1 hour ago
Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mays is opening for the state and talking to the jury. She speaks about each child. When talking about Nahtahn, she pointed at #TimothyJones and said, "He took his life anyway" @wachfox


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 1h1 hour ago
Mays asks the jury to ask themselves if the defense presents an "explanation or an excuse" #TimothyJones @wachfox


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 1h1 hour ago
Mays says the death penalty isn't about vengeance, it's about the punishment fitting the crime #TimothyJones @wachfox

 

[YESorNO]

Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 1h1 hour ago
Mayes wraps up her opening statement. Boyd Young, the lead defense attorney for Jones, begins his statement by saying "you don't kill people who are sick."


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 1h1 hour ago
Defense attorney Boyd Young is now speaking to the jury. He tells them they respect their verdict but says "You don't have to kill Tim Jones. You don't kill people who are sick." #TimothyJones @wachfox


Caroline Hecker‏Verified account @CHecker_WIS 1h1 hour ago
"You don't have to kill Tim Jones," Boyd Young, lead defense attorney, opens with as he begins opening statements. Watch here >>> https://bit.ly/2Mvt3wYv @wis10


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 1h1 hour ago
Young says, "Tim's life can have meaning in prison to his family...." #TimothyJones @wachfox


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 56m56 minutes ago
Young brings up Jones's family, saying they deal with the loss of the five children everyday. Wraps up his statement by saying "God could use people in dark places."

 

[YESorNO]

Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 50m50 minutes ago
To sum up the opening statements (which both lasted under ten minutes):
Prosecution-Stressed aggravating factors (all of the children were under 11, all of the murders happened in one night)
Defense-Emphasized how the family wants Jones to live

 

[YESorNO]

Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 36m36 minutes ago
First witness for the Prosecution in the sentencing phase: Dave Lawrence, a retired Lieutenant with SLED. He traveled with FBI Special Agent David Mackey and Lexington County investigator Adam Creach to Mississippi to talk with Jones after his arrest.


Caroline Hecker‏Verified account @CHecker_WIS 40m40 minutes ago
First witness on the stand for the prosecution is (Ret.) Lt. Dave Lawrence, who was working at SLED in 2014 and traveled to Mississippi to help with the body recovery. @wis10


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 38m38 minutes ago
Lawrence was on hand to assist with the recovery of the bodies. He goes over the timeline of the drive from Smith County (Miss.) to a "very remote, extreme rural" area between Camden and Greenville, Alabama where the bodies were discovered.


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 30m30 minutes ago
Lawrence says after Jones guided them to where the bodies were, they promptly removed him from the scene before more law enforcement officers from Alabama showed up.


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 27m27 minutes ago
When asked about how Lexington County Sheriff's Department and SLED officials factored into the initial processing of the scene, Lawrence says it "was a very coordinated effort."

 

[YESorNO]

Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 22m22 minutes ago
Prosecution now showing video to the jury of investigators approaching the bags where the five bodies were discovered in rural wooded area in Alabama.


Caroline Hecker‏Verified account @CHecker_WIS 23m23 minutes ago
The jury is being shown a video taken at the crime scene, where the children's bodies were found in five black garbage bags. They appear hidden in brush, well off the beaten path. @wis10


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 24m24 minutes ago
The jury is about to see a two minute video of the crime scene and recovering effort in rural Alabama. #TimothyJones @wachfox


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 21m21 minutes ago
"It was horrendous," Lawrence says of the smell of the crime scene #TimothyJones @wachfox


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 17m17 minutes ago
After Lawrence described the smell and how they carefully opened the bags to see if human bodies were inside, the prosecution now shows more photos from the crime scene, including the open garbage bags.


Caroline Hecker‏Verified account @CHecker_WIS 18m18 minutes ago
For the first time, the jury is being shown photographs of the garbage bags from the crime scene, opened just enough to ensure human remains were inside.


ourtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 19m19 minutes ago
Two of the children's former babysitters are holding each other in court as the Solicitor starts to show Lawrence and the jury crime scene photos. #TimothyJones @wachfox


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 14m14 minutes ago
Sniffles are heard throughout the courtroom as Hubbard continues to show the witness and jury photos of the recovery. Many people sitting behind the prosecution wipes their eyes. @wachfox #TimothyJones


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 9m9 minutes ago
Boyd Young requests for a mistrial saying a Juror is sobbing uncontrollably. Hubbard responds that the juror is an alternate and that she's not sobbing, she's crying quietly and Hubbard immediately asked for break. Judge says reaction was quiet. @wachfox #TimothyJones


Caroline Hecker‏Verified account @CHecker_WIS 11m11 minutes ago
The jury takes a break after one juror is seen crying after viewing the photos of the children in the garbage bags as they were found on the scene. @wis10


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 9m9 minutes ago
While Lawrence was still going over the graphic pictures of the bodies, Judge Griffith calls for a break.


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 5m5 minutes ago
Judge Griffith called for the break since a juror, whom Solicitor Rick Hubbard says is an alternate, became visibly upset when looking at the photographs.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

The defense atty telling the jury “you don’t kill people who are sick”, after the jury found that Jones was not insane, is pretty disrespectful and offensive in my opinion. If I was on the jury it would have ticked me off.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

The defense atty complains about a juror crying looking at the children’s bodies in bags at the crime scene, while almost the entire defense table was ignoring the photos themselves. Everybody in that courtroom was looking at those photos, except them! They were looking at computers, playing with their phones, etc. They give the appearance of not giving a whit about those children. I’m sure that’s not true, but appearance is everything. They’re not doing their client any favors. Show some respect!

 

[Hope4More]

The defense atty telling the jury “you don’t kill people who are sick”, after the jury found that Jones was not insane, is pretty disrespectful and offensive in my opinion. If I was on the jury it would have ticked me off.

Agree. And asserting what "God needs" is just as offensive, if not more so, IMO.

Of course, though, their insanity claim shredded & rejected, the defense essentially has squat to offer for mitigation, but still has to try.

 

[YESorNO]

Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 11m11 minutes ago
The judge denies the motion for mistrial after SLED agent says the juror is okay to move forward. Defense says someone told them a different juror was ill in the jury room but agent also says that is not true. @wachfox #TimothyJones

 

[Hope4More]

Was that video of Elias crying about his mother not being there?

 

[YESorNO]

Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 6m6 minutes ago
The jury is watching videos extracted from Amber Kyzer's phone of the Jones children crying, asking her to come back to the house. Merah is heard saying "I love you." Shelby Derrick with Lexington County Sheriff's department says they were sent from #TimothyJones @wachfox


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 4m4 minutes ago
While all the attorneys are meeting for a sidebar, Timothy Jones Jr. starts to cry, tears rolling down his face as he wipes them off with a red handkerchief.


Courtney King‏ @CourtReportKing 2m2 minutes ago
The jury is escorted out of the room and the defense is seen comforting #TimothyJones. He's taken out of the room for a few minutes @wachfox

 

[Hope4More]

Deleted duplicate

 

[Hope4More]

That video of Merah crying hysterically for her mother is sickening. You can hear Jones calmly prompting her several times to "say what you want to say." He's deliberately using Merah's acute pain to torment Amber.

 

[Hope4More]

Conference call from prison playing, with his dad, (and stepmother/brother)?

ETA.

It's really difficult to hear, but sure sounds like they're all joking about Jones supposedly being "crazy."

 

[Spellbound]

The audio (tape) is very hard for me to understand what is being said most of the time.

Today is a very sad and hard day... I just hope Amber can one day feel happy again.

 

[YESorNO]

Having problems posting- WS very slow...


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 56m56 minutes ago
As a result of a juror becoming visibly upset, Hubbard will post autopsy photos as evidence, but they will not be shown to the jury in court. They can be viewed by the jury during deliberations.


Caroline Hecker‏Verified account @CHecker_WIS 59m59 minutes ago
Autopsy photos will not be shown directly to jury today, but will be submitted into evidence to allow jurors to consider them during deliberation, as they do all other evidence. It comes as a juror needed helped out of her chair after seeing initial crime scene photos. @wis10


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 57m57 minutes ago
Hubbard wraps up his initial questioning with Lawrence. Rob Madsen of the defense begins his cross-examination.

 

[Gardenista]

The defense was comforting Jones? GMAFB.

 

[YESorNO]

Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 54m54 minutes ago
Lawrence wraps up his testimony and steps down from the stand. Deputy Solicitor Shawn Graham introducing some evidence to the judge.


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 52m52 minutes ago
This new evidence includes prior convictions Jones had back in Illinois, including one for possession of cocaine and another for theft.


Tim Scott‏ @TimScottTV 53m53 minutes ago
This new evidence includes prior convictions Jones had back in Illinois, including one for possession of cocaine and another for theft.