Insets, from left to right: Dayvon Jones and Antwan Jones Jr. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office). The background features the Arizona neighborhood where the siblings are accused of murdering their father earlier this week (Google Maps).
In Arizona, two brothers face accusations of murdering their 41-year-old father amidst a domestic altercation, with claims that they beat and strangled him to death.
Dayvon Jones, 22, and Antwan Jones Jr., 23, were arrested and have been charged in relation to their father, Antwan Jones Sr.’s death, as per court documents. Each sibling faces one count of aggravated assault, and Dayvon has an additional charge of second-degree murder.
At approximately 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, officers from the Goodyear Police Department responded to a report of “unknown trouble” at a residence located in the 2400 block of South 159th Lane, around Estrella Parkway and Lower Buckeye Parkway, according to a news release.
Upon reaching the location, responders found an unresponsive adult male, later confirmed as Antwan Jones Sr. Police administered CPR until paramedics arrived and took over emergency measures. The victim was then transported to a nearby hospital, where he was declared deceased.
The investigators, citing the ongoing case, initially withheld details about the circumstances leading to Antwan Jones Sr.’s death. However, they confirmed detaining “two individuals believed to be involved in the altercation,” identifying them as the sons of the victim.
Court documents obtained by Phoenix CBS affiliate KTVK provided additional context regarding the alleged events immediately preceding the victim’s death.
According to the report, the brothers immediately told the 911 emergency dispatcher that their father was the aggressor and they had only acted in self-defense when hitting and choking him. After their father was taken away in an ambulance, the duo allegedly called 911 again and notified police that they were on their way to the station.
In interviews with detectives, the brothers said they had gotten into an argument with the father the previous evening after Antwan Jones Jr. said he did not like his father and just “wanted to be left alone.”
The following morning, they said they were inside the bedroom they share playing video games when their father came in and continued to provoke them, allegedly “antagonizing” them and demanding that they “stand up and fight or get out of his house,” Mesa NBC affiliate KPNX reported.
Both defendants said their dad had “outbursts” and regularly threatened them with physical violence.
They said their father then punched Antwan Jones Jr. in the face, giving the 23-year-old a bloody nose. Dayvon Jones reportedly responded by putting his right arm around his father’s neck and getting him into a chokehold. The 22-year-old told authorities he kept his dad in the hold while leaning backward for about 15 seconds. During that time, his older brother admitted that he punched his dad several times.
“Antwan said he began hitting the victim because he himself got hit and he was in shock,” police reportedly wrote in a probable cause affidavit.
However, after about 15 seconds, the brothers said their dad made a “grunting noise” and went limp, which is when Dayvon Jones released the chokehold and Antwan Jones Jr. ceased hitting his father.
Dayvon Jones said that after letting go of his father, he immediately fled the house out of fear that Antwan Jones Sr. would regain consciousness and go after him. Instead of calling 911, Antwan Jones Jr. told authorities he followed his brother because he too feared that their father would “hurt or kill” Dayvon.
Both reportedly said they had been “living in fear” of their father and thought they had finally “confronted him about leaving them alone.”
The defendants’ mother and younger siblings reportedly told police that several years earlier, Antwan Jones Sr. had assaulted and strangled Antwan Jones Jr.
The defendants are currently being held in the Maricopa County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.
