Parents let 9-year-old 'concealed from the world' die: DA
Share this @internewscast.com

Inset, left to right: Sampaguita L. Jones and Sherman Jones (Detroit Police Department). Background: The Detroit street where the Joneses lived with the victim before his death last year (Google Maps).

Two foster parents in Michigan are being charged with numerous felonies for allegedly abusing, torturing, and eventually killing a 9-year-old boy in their care last year. The child was found bruised “from head to toe” and with “too many scars to count” when he died from untreated pneumonia.

Sherman Devaughn Jones, 46, and Sampaguita L. Jones, 41, were arrested and charged with one count each of felony murder, torture, and involuntary manslaughter in the death of young Owen, as announced by authorities.

According to a news release from the Wayne County Prosecutor”s Office, emergency medical personnel at about 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 19, 2024, responded to a residence in the 3700 block of Gladstone Street in Detroit regarding reports of an unresponsive child. Paramedics transported the child to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy conducted by the Wayne County medical examiner determined that the 9-year-old’s cause of death was pneumonia. However, a subsequent investigation into the circumstances of the boy’s death revealed a harrowing case of physical and emotional abuse, prosecutors say.

“It is alleged that the defendants neglected and physically assaulted the child, resulting in his death,” the release states.

The defendants appeared for their arraignment on Thursday, during which prosecutors provided additional details about the allegations against the foster parents, as seen in footage from Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV.

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

During the hearing, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Erin Wilmoth described the allegation in the case as “beyond egregious,” saying the young boy endured “unimaginable pain and suffering” at the hands of the Joneses.

“The evidence in this case supports that Owen suffered long-term severe physical abuse at the hands of both defendants, who were his caregivers at the time,” she said.

According to the prosecutor, a family member first noticed physical injuries on Owen back in June 2023 and notified CPS. Unfortunately, CPS “failed to open an appropriate investigation,” Wilmoth said.

She described the medical evidence showing that at the time of his death, Owen had “scars, scratches, discoloration, and bruising over the entire surface of his body,” Wilmoth said, “from head to toe.”

“In fact, the medical report notes that there were too many scars to count on Owen’s body,” the prosecutor continued. “He was underweight with an extremely protruding stomach. He had healing fractures as well as acute fractures, which means nonhealing, close-in-time to his death, fractures of the ribs, his pelvis, his elbow, scapula, humerus, his hands, his arms — I mean, the list goes on.

Wilmoth said that additional medical evidence would be provided to the court in the future, but went on to emphasize that there was also evidence indicating that Owen was “concealed from the world” to prevent others from finding out about the alleged abuse.

“He was often locked away in his bedroom, not allowed to go outside, not taken for normal wellness checks,” she said, adding that Owen was homeschooled, alleging that too was an effort to keep the abuse he suffered from being discovered.

According to Wilmoth, the trauma suffered by Owen made him more susceptible to infections. Despite that, both defendants allegedly ignored his “progressive symptoms for weeks.” The “extremely rare” case of a 9-year-old dying from pneumonia, Wilmoth argued, was directly due to the physical abuse and refusal to seek any treatment for Owen.

The medical examiner determined the manner of death to be a homicide “due to the duration that these progressive symptoms were ignored,” the prosecutor said. Doctors said the boy’s right lung had collapsed because his entire right chest cavity was filled with pus.

An attorney for the defendants highlighted the fact that CPS did not find Owen’s situation to be dire enough to even open an investigation into the Joneses “despite a report being made,” adding that the allegations date back two years and the defendants both work.

The judge sided with prosecutors in remanding the Joneses to pretrial detention. They are scheduled to appear in court again for a probable cause conference on July 3.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

What’s in Store for Erin Patterson’s Future?

Mushroom cook Erin Patterson still has a long legal road to travel…

Court Halts Trump Administration’s Reductions to AmeriCorps

President Donald Trump listens during a briefing with the media, Friday, June…

Gainesville Woman Arrested After Allegedly Using Vehicle to Hit Man and Two Ducks

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Shalecia Labria Garrison, 33, was taken into…

Man Allegedly Kills Ex-Girlfriend’s Father in Anger: Police Report

Inset: Armondo Paul (San Juan County Jail). Background: Residence in Shiprock, New…

Police Request Public Assistance in Identifying Vehicle Burglary Suspect

All images courtesy High Springs Police Department Staff report from High Springs…

Judge Seeks Clarification from DHS Following El Salvador’s Statement

Left: President Donald Trump participates in a meeting with the Fraternal Order…

Mother Shares Events Leading Up to Son Allegedly Decapitating Father

Background: News footage of Denice Mohn (center, in blazer and glasses) leaving…

Jackson Criticizes Supreme Court Justices Over Approval of Trump Dismissals

Left: MIAMI, FL-MARCH 10: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson attends…

Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend After Confrontation About Ex, Police Say

Left inset: Martin Mendoza (Santa Clara County Jail). Right inset: Marissa DiNapoli…

Police Report: Woman Fatally Attacked Man with Hammer, Note Found on Victim

Inset: Journee McGrew (Duval County Jail). Background: Cross Creek Apartments, where McGrew…

Lawyer Criticizes Key Witness in Fraudulent Heist Trial

While CCTV captured two men before and after a brazen staged robbery…

Man Receives Death Penalty for Murdering Teenager

Inset: Khyler Edman (Life Celebration Center). background: Ryan Cole during his trial…