A Look Into the Mind of Jones:
At the request of his defense lawyer, Jeremy Jones underwent a psychological evaluation. The report from the doctor hired by Jones' defense lawyer is not yet available, but reporters were able to obtain a profile from a doctor who interviewed Jones right after he was arrested for the murder of Lisa Nichols.
Explosive and a Sociopath:
Psychiatrist Dr. Charles Herlihy, who was asked by Investigative Reporter Josh Bernstein to interpret the profile, said that Jones "could also be very calculating but explosive when he doesn't get what he wants." According to the profile, Jones suffers from severe depression and has an Anti-social Personality. Herlichy described him as explosive and a sociopath who is incapable of adjusting to a normal life.
A Man Full of Rage:
Herlichy also described Jones as a man full of rage and one who could be capable of killing multiple times. Jones was also a prolific drug abuser and suffered from liver failure and Hepatitis C. Herlichy reviewed an 11-page evaluation of Jones by Dr. Doug McKeown who spent a day with Jones.
Quadruple Murder in Oklahoma:
In early 2005, Deputies from Craig County Sheriff's office interviewed Jones in Alabama about a December 30, 1999 murder that occurred in Welch, Oklahoma. Danny and Kathy Freeman were found shot to death and the trailer they lived in was set on fire. The Freeman's 16-year-old daughter, Ashley Freeman and her 16-year-old friend, Laurie Bible, were not found in the home and the two have never been seen again.
Another Confession:
Jones confessed to Sheriff Jimmie Sooter that he killed the Freeman couple and that the teenaged girls ran out of the home and into Jones' truck. He drove them to Kansas where he allegedly killed them and disposed of their bodies. Based on information given to the detectives, a large search of mining pits and sinkholes was conducted but nothing was found. Jones has not been charged in the Freeman case.
A Woman's Picture - Who is She?:
A storage building in Douglas County, Georgia belonging to Jones was searched in late 2004. The police found eight pictures of women among his personal belongings. Six of the women have been identified and the last two pictures may be of the same woman but her whereabouts have yet to be established.
The Murder Trial:
During Jones' trial for the murder of Lisa Marie Nichols, he changed his story about the events that took place the night of her murder. He had previously confessed to killing Nichols but when it came time to testify he blamed the shooting on a neighbor of Nichols. In his new version, he said that both he and the neighbor entered the home and that it was his neighbor who shot Nichols. The neighbor he was blaming had died a few months before the trial began.
Prosecutors Expose the Confession:
Prosecutors told jurors that Jones was staying with a neighbor of Nichols' a few days before Hurricane Ivan hit the area. After the hurricane, the area had no electricity and was in a black out. Jones barged in on Nichols, raped and then shot her in the head three times. To cover up his crime, he set the mobile home on fire, but it failed to ignite and only partially burned Nichols and the room where she was found.
"A Coward, a Moral Pervert and Purveyor of Drugs.":
Along with Jones' confessions, prosecutors presented DNA evidence that blood found on Jones' clothing matched Nichols' blood. Lastly, Assistant Attorney General Don Valeska read a taped conversation between Jones and his friend, Mark Bentley. Jones told Bentley he killed Nichols when he was high on drugs and said, "It was like a nightmare, I was in a movie... I was higher than I had ever been in my whole life."
Guilty:
Assistant Attorney General Don Valeska told jurors to look at Jones if they wanted to see evil... "a coward, a moral pervert and purveyor of drugs." The jury came to a decision in two hours and convicted Jones of rape, burglary, sexual abuse, kidnapping and capital murder.
In various confessions over the months before his trial, Jones confessed to up to 20 murders in a time span of 13 years. Conviction for the murders charges against him in Georgia and New Orleans can now be pursued. Investigators are still pursuing evidence against him in at least 10 other murders.
