Daniel O. Jones

Daniel Jones
Jones in 2004
Born	Daniel Oliver Jones (1969-09-26) September 26, 1969 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Criminal status	Incarcerated
Conviction(s)	First degree murder Second degree murder (3 counts) Forcible rape Armed criminal action
Criminal penalty	Life imprisonment without parole
Details
Victims	4
Span of crimes	1998–2001
Country	United States
State(s)	Missouri
Date apprehended	March 8, 2001

Daniel Oliver Jones (born September 26, 1969) is an American serial killer who raped and stabbed four young women to death in Kansas City, Missouri, between 1998 and 2001. He was arrested shortly after the final murder, and DNA evidence linked him to the previous crimes, after which he confessed and was given multiple life sentences.

Early life

Jones was born on September 26, 1969. A native of Kansas City, Jones attended Raytown South High School in Raytown, Missouri. While a student, he built a reputation as a disrupter in class and was frequently in trouble. On May 20, 1987, Jones attacked a female teacher and dragged her from her classroom into the school's auditorium where he raped her. After threatening to kill her, the teacher was able to escape about 15 minutes later. Jones was arrested three days later when the victim identified him from the school yearbook. Jones pleaded innocent at his arraignment when he was indicted on one count of forcible rape.

In 1988, Jones was found guilty and was sentenced to ten years in prison. In 1989, he attempted to appeal his sentence by claiming that prosecutors should have been prohibited from using his inappropriate school behavior as evidence, but the appeal was rejected. In August 1996, Jones was paroled after serving eight years of his sentence, with his parole set to expire in 2004.

Murders

On December 2, 1998, Jones broke into the apartment of 19-year-old Jenai Douglas, a lifelong acquaintance of his. He brandished a knife and fatally stabbed Douglas numerous times in her bedroom. He left the apartment soon after the murder without stealing any items, and later that day Douglas was discovered by a roommate. According to Kim Douglas, the victim's mother, Jones would visit her house on multiple occasions to offer condolences after Jenai's killing. In February 2000, shortly after the first anniversary of Jenai's murder, a reward of $3,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest. Kim Douglas had added an extra $2,000 to the standard $1,000 in hopes of a better media attention to the case.

On March 10, 1999, Jones broke into home of 21-year-old Kaliquah Gilliam on Arleta Boulevard, brandishing a knife and fatally stabbing her a total of 36 times. Her body was discovered later that day by her visiting cousin. At the time, Gilliam was involved in a legal case for allegedly being the getaway driver in the robbery of a U-Haul center in January. Five months later, on August 16, Jones smashed the back patio window to enter the apartment of 21-year-old Roxanne Colley, whom had once had an affair with Jones. Jones brandished a knife and attacked Colley, raped her, and stabbed her repeatedly before slashing her throat, ultimately killing her.

In late 2000, Jones began a relationship with 18-year-old Candriea White, a young mother of two. Their relationship stalled in early 2001 and by March the two had separated. On March 6, Jones broke into White's Linden Hill apartment and chased her with a knife from room to room before restraining her in the kitchen. He proceeded to stab her 14 times and slit her throat, but choosing not to harm her infant children, he fled the scene. Later that afternoon, a neighbor noticed White's front door ajar and peeked in only to notice her body lying in a corner.

Arrest and trial

On March 8, Jones was arrested after a bloody palm print the killer left at the house matched a print Jones had on file. While in jail, a sample of his DNA was collected by investigators who submitted it into the state database. In July 2001, investigators were notified when his DNA was matched to the semen evidence left behind at Roxanne Colley's murder. Jones appointed Horton Lance to defend him during his trial. In his trial, Lance brought up that Jones had an alibi the day of the murder, as his family members testified that he was with them that afternoon. Lance also cast doubt on the fingerprinting evidence that was used to charge Jones, saying that the prosecutors lacked witnesses, a confession, and a motive. On August 21, 2002, the jury found Jones guilty of White's murder, subsequently imposing the sentence of life imprisonment without parole.

When re-looking at older cases, investigators noted how similar the killings of Douglas and Gilliam were to Jones' modus operandi. Jones' DNA was also taken and compared to the murders of Douglas and Gilliam, but the samples were not enough to identify him as the killer. In 2004, Jones confessed to killing Douglas and Gilliam and offered to plead guilty to all charges. Gilliam's grandmother said that, while she was frustrated with Jones, she did not want him to be sentenced to death because, according to her, he was just a young man. Jones is currently serving his sentence at the Crossroads Correctional Center.

See also

• List of serial killers in the United States

External links

• Missouri Department of Corrections inmate information