Stock photo

Stock photo

Man pleads not guilty to 1994 Renton murders

A 23-year-old mother and her 3-year-old son were found shot to death in Renton 29 years ago

Jerome Frank Jones, 53, charged with the 1994 murders of a mother and her son, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on May 9.

Jones faces two counts of aggravated murder in the first degree for the Oct. 28, 1994, shooting deaths of Stacy Ann Falcon-Dewey, 23, and her 3-year-old son Jacob.

Based on the Renton Police Department’s investigations surrounding the murders using DNA evidence, King County prosecutors charged Jones for the murders of Falcon-Dewey and Jacob on Feb. 15, 2022.

Currently in custody at the Washington State Department of Corrections, the King County Superior Court filed for Jones’s extradition from the Kern Valley State Prison in California to stand for court proceedings in King County. Jones showed in person at his May 9 arraignment in King County Superior Court.

Investigation

On Oct. 28, 1994, a Seattle Times newspaper deliverer dialed 911 at around 3:30 a.m. and reported the discovery of a dead woman on South 55th Street in Renton.

Renton officers responded to the scene and found Falcon-Dewey and Jacob lying dead in the middle of the roadway next to her 1984 Buick Century with gunshot wounds.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Stacy suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the back of her head, two additional gunshot wounds to her left arm and left shoulder, blunt force lacerations to her head, and bruising and linear abrasions to her neck.

Jacob suffered two gunshot wounds to his head, one at close range.

The medical examiner determined both Falcon-Dewey and Jacob died as a result of homicide.

For several years, the investigation efforts of Renton detectives led nowhere, with no arrests nor conclusive suspects identified, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

In 2001, advancements in DNA testing led to the submission of evidence from the scene to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for testing. In 2002, the lab detected semen on the oral swabs taken from Falcon-Dewey’s body.

They matched the unknown male DNA with Jones in the convicted felon database, previously convicted for murder and incarcerated in California since 1998.

Jones

Approximately five months after the murders of Falcon-Dewey and Jacob, Jones shot a man to death in California in March of 1995 prior to fleeing to Seattle, according to court documents. Law enforcement arrested Jones in Seattle and held him at the King County Jail.

In custody, Jones assaulted a corrections officer and received a conviction of assault in the second degree in 1996. Following the assault conviction, California extradited Jones to stand trial for murder for the March 1995 shooting death, according to court documents.

Jones held a history of several felony assaults and convictions in both California and Washington.

In 1998, a jury trial convicted Jones of murder in the first degree, leading to his imprisonment in California.

Renton detectives flew to California to interview Jones at the Salinas Valley State Prison after the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab discovered the matching male DNA profile in 2002.

Jones admitted to detectives he lived in the Kent-Auburn area from 1994 to 1995, though he said he never knew Falcon-Dewey when questioned and shown a picture of her, according to the affidavit.

Detectives confirmed with an apartment manager that a person named Jerome Jones lived in an apartment complex where Falcon-Dewey left her son with a friend the evening prior to the discovery of her and her son deceased.

The Washington State Patrol Crime Lab continued to test evidence items as advancements in DNA identification continued.

In December 2021, investigators learned the crime lab detected semen on the sleeve of Jacob’s jacket at the time of his murder. Based on the male DNA profile developed from the sperm, the likelihood of the DNA profile originating from Jones instead of an unrelated individual selected at random from the U.S. population is 3.6 nonillion, according to the affidavit.

The King County Clerk’s Office filed a felony warrant for Jones’s arrest immediately after prosecutors filed charges. In Jones’s charging documents, prosecutors report Jones allegedly bound Falcon-Dewey, beat her, orally raped her and likely shot her child to death in front of her prior to killing her.

On April 28, 2023, following his extradition from the Kern Valley State Prison, the King County Sheriff’s Office booked Jones into the King County jail.

Court

Judge Johanna Bender oversaw Jones’s arraignment on May 9 in King County Superior Court, with David Ventura Montes and Miranda Maurmann representing Jones’s defense team, and deputy prosecuting attorney Don Raz representing the state.

Prosecutors filed an omnibus application, motioning for the court to schedule a confession procedure, providing Jones the opportunity to testify and provide a statement to the court — subject to cross-examination and use of his statement as admissible evidence.

The court scheduled Jones’s trial date for Aug. 21, with his omnibus hearing scheduled for July 17. Jones will remain in custody on a no-bail hold. Trial dates are often pushed out as attorneys from either side can ask for more time to prepare the case.

According to court documents, in the event Jones receives a conviction on the charges, he will face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in Northwest

t
Nicholas gets nearly 46 years for Federal Way murder of Sarah Yarborough

‘There will be accountability, no matter how many years it takes,’ judge said in court

A memorial at Stars Bar & Grill includes photos, cards, flowers and trinkets set in reverence of Jessyca Hohn and Katie Duhnke, who were killed just outside the bar May 21. Alex Bruell / The Mirror
Federal Way bar fatal shootings suspect identified; bartenders honored

Stars Bar & Grill customers celebrate lives of Jessyca Hohn and Katie Duhnke

t
Auburn Police arrest 2 juveniles in Oregon for fatal shooting

Pair caught day after May 30 shooting in Auburn

t
Court denies use of tattoos, prior cases as evidence in Auburn cop’s trial

Jeffrey Nelson is the first officer in state to face a murder charge since the passage of I-940.

File Photo
Renton first responders ‘endangered’ at illegal street race in Kent

Both the fire chief and the firefighters union issued statements regarding the May 21 incident.

Decatur High School senior and “American Idol” contestant Iam Tongi sits at home on March 1. His father Rodney spent a bonus from his job as an electrician to buy Iam’s guitar. Alex Bruell / The Mirror
It’s Iam: Federal Way student wins ‘American Idol’

The city of Federal Way is planning a celebration to honor the Decatur High student’s victory

King County Crime Dive podcast.
‘One-person crime wave’ sentenced for ghost gun and fentanyl | King County Crime Dive podcast

Also in this episode, a 17-year-old boy is injured while “surfing” on a vehicle.

Heavy traffic northbound on 1-5 in Everett, Washington on August 31, 2022. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Go early or late to beat Memorial Day weekend traffic

AAA projects busy airports, ferries and roads over the holiday weekend this year, though still below pre-pandemic counts.

Flowers and candles are left by the door of the Stars Bar & Grill in Federal Way, where two employees were shot and killed early Sunday morning, May 21. A third man was shot and taken to a hospital. ALEX BRUELL, Sound Publishing
2 employees killed, 1 customer injured at Federal Way bar shooting

Police looking for suspect in May 21 shooting at Stars Bar & Grill at 31216 Pacific Highway S.

Police lights (File photo)
Police investigating death of teenager in Renton

The 17-year-old was found with multiple gunshot wounds on May 6.

t
State Patrol uses aircraft to make traffic arrests in South King County

Crackdown on illegal street racing and vehicles fleeing from traffic stops

King County Crime Dive podcast.
Local member of Proud Boys is convicted | Podcast

A Washington, D.C., jury convicted an Auburn man and three other Proud Boys members of a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.