Trial Begins For Desmond Jones, Man Charged In Connection To Shavon Randle's Murder
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — The trial for a man charged in connection to Shavon Randle's murder began Monday.
Desmond Jones is one of four men accused of kidnapping and killing the 13-year-old in 2017.
Prosecutors with the Dallas County District Attorneys Office told a jury of seven women and five men that Jones was connected to a violent South Dallas drug gang.
In the summer of 2017, two armed men stole thousands of dollars worth of marijuana from Jones' drug gang associates, prosecutors claimed. That heist set in motion a violent response from Jones and the alleged leader of the drug gang, Darius Fields — who was implicated and sentenced to 18 years in prison last year.
Investigators said Fields targeted the girlfriend of the rival drug gang leader as payback for the marijuana heist. But authorities said they instead kidnapped a young cousin of the targeted girlfriend from her Lancaster home.
Jones, in a recording played in court Monday, said he saw Randle taken from the house and also witnessed her murder days later. But Jones claimed he never directly participated in neither Randle's abduction or shooting.
If convicted, Jones faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
