According to police, Jeremiah Jones, 22, entered the apartment of his ex-girlfriend Monday evening where he shot her twice and then shot her young daughter in the head. Two other children aged 1 and 3 present were not injured, but the 9-year-old was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner called the murder a “senseless act of domestic violence” and noted the girl had been a member of the Police Activities League program. Finner called on Jones to turn himself in.
According to court documents, Jones was out on a total of five bonds, including one for Felon in Possession of a Weapon.
Convicted of felony theft in January 2020, Jones was sentenced to 180 days in jail but was given credit for time served. The next month, a judge in Fort Bend County granted Jones bond for a theft charge, and although Jones fell under bond forfeiture, his bond was reinstated in January 2021.
Also in January 2021, the 338th District Criminal Court under Judge Ramona Franklin granted Jones a $50,000 bond on a new burglary charge and a $15,000 bond on charges of Felon in Possession of a Weapon.
In January 2022, Jones was again released on bonds for Terroristic Threat of a Family or Household Member, Violation of Bond or Protective Order, and Evading Arrest with a Vehicle. According to Harris County records, Jones allegedly threatened to murder his girlfriend, a misdemeanor offense.
Police took Jones into custody again in May 2022, but after the court raised his previous bonds for Burglary and Felon in Possession of a Weapon to $80,000 and $50,000, respectively, Jones was again released into the community.
On June 9, 2022, Jones pled guilty to theft in Fort Bend County, but the 240th District Criminal Court under Judge Frank Fraley approved him with credit for time served based on his time in and out of the jails in Fort Bend and Harris counties and released him again.
Andy Kahan, Victims Advocate with Crime Stoppers of Houston, told The Texan the 9-year-old girl is the 175th person murdered in Harris County allegedly by a suspect out on multiple felony bonds over the past few years.
“The bottom line is none of this should have ever happened, and a 9-year-old girl should still be alive today,” said Kahan.
Authorities have not yet released the name of the girl pending notification of family members.
Although police had not taken Jones into custody by Tuesday evening, FOX 26 reporter Damali Keith interviewed Jones by Zoom Tuesday afternoon. Jones insisted he was innocent of killing the girl.
Last month, police arrested and charged suspect Delvin Clemons in the shooting death of Keishan Betts in Houston. Clemons had been twice released in Harris County in 2021 on bond for charges of Felon in Possession of a Weapon despite having 17 prior felony convictions.
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Holly Hansen
Holly Hansen is a regional reporter for The Texan living in Harris County. Her former column, “All In Perspective” ran in The Georgetown Advocate, Jarrell Star Ledger, and The Hill Country News, and she has contributed to a variety of Texas digital media outlets. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida with a degree in History, and in addition to writing about politics and policy, also writes about faith and culture.
