A Missouri man was sentenced Friday to life in a state correctional facility with the possibility of parole for killing a teenager who was on a FaceTime call with his mother when he was shot.
Background
The shooting occurred March 2, 2022, in the 2400 block of Whittier Street in St. Louis' The Ville neighborhood. Police responded to reports of gunfire and found 19-year-old Jadun M. Byrd suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Byrd had taken a Lyft to meet his mother at work and was on FaceTime with her when he was murdered, according to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office. His mother, Leslie Byrd, heard the gunfire over the phone and told investigators she watched helplessly as her son fell to the ground during the call.
"'They just shot that boy up,'" she recalled hearing someone say after the shooting. "'And then somebody accidentally kicked the phone and I seen his head just roll and his hands curled up.'"
She also noted that no robbery occurred: "'They didn't even rob him. They didn't take anything from him. They just pulled up and shot and drove off.'"
The Investigation
An eyewitness told investigators that a white Dodge Journey drove toward Byrd as he walked through a parking lot. Someone rolled down the vehicle's driver's-side window and fired multiple shots at him before fleeing.
Surveillance footage showed the Dodge Journey circling the area where Byrd lived and following his Lyft to the murder scene, prosecutors said. Additional footage captured Jones entering the vehicle approximately 30 minutes before the shooting and returning about 30 minutes afterward.
Investigators recovered Jones' fingerprints from the driver's side of the vehicle. A subsequent search of the residence where Jones was located yielded multiple firearms, one of which forensic testing linked to the murder.
Authorities also determined that Jones placed his phone in airplane mode shortly before the shooting and removed it from airplane mode afterward.
Two passengers inside the Dodge Journey identified Jones as the driver and stated he was among those who opened fire on Byrd.
The Sentencing
Circuit Judge Craig K. Higgins on Friday sentenced Jonathon Xavier Jones, now 21, to life in prison with parole eligibility after he pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder. In exchange for his plea, the state dropped additional charges of armed criminal action and unlawful use of weapons.
Jones was 17 years old when Byrd was killed, and the case initially proceeded through juvenile court. However, a judge certified him to stand trial as an adult on July 8, 2024.
At the time of the murder, Jones was on the run after escaping from a juvenile detention center where he had been held in connection with a separate homicide case. He has since been convicted of second-degree murder in that unrelated matter.
"Jadun Byrd was 19 years old and had his entire life ahead of him. His family will carry the pain of losing him for the rest of their lives," St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said in a statement. "Our office will aggressively prosecute those who commit violent crimes and continue working to protect the people of St. Louis from those who endanger our communities."
Key Takeaways
- Jadun M. Byrd, 19, was shot and killed while on FaceTime with his mother, who witnessed her son's death via video call
- Jonathon Xavier Jones pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility
- Jones was 17 at the time of the killing and had escaped from juvenile detention where he was held for a separate homicide case
- Surveillance footage and fingerprint evidence linked Jones to both the vehicle used in the shooting and the firearm that killed Byrd
- Two passengers identified Jones as the shooter, prosecutors said
What's Next
Jones will begin serving his sentence immediately at a Missouri state correctional facility. His conviction in this case, combined with his separate homicide conviction, means he could face significant challenges in obtaining parole hearings despite the eligibility clause in his sentence.