Springfield man gets life for 2014 murder after meth deal went awry
A Springfield man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for killing a 21-year-old man in 2014 after a meth deal went awry.
Brian Jones, 42, was convicted last year of murdering Charles J. Cortez, whose body was found in the 1800 block of North Weller Avenue on Oct. 6, 2014. He was suffering from several gunshot wounds and later died at the hospital.
Police said Jones and a woman were giving a ride to Cortez and two others, and when the group arrived at a house on North Weller Avenue, Jones pulled out a handgun and began to shoot inside the car.
During the closing arguments of the jury trial in 2016, prosecutors argued Jones killed Cortez — a complete stranger — over about $200 worth of methamphetamine.
On Tuesday, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Philip Fuhrman argued for the harshest penalty possible for Jones, saying he's committed eight felonies since 1999.
Fuhrman said that at around the time of the murder, Jones also repeatedly struck a man with a croquet mallet and put urine-soaked underwear on the man's head.
Jones' attorney, Russell Dempsey, said his client did not put urine-soaked on anyone's head. Dempsey said Jones has had a "horrible, horrible meth addiction for most of his life."
And while Jones does have a criminal history, Dempsey said it's mostly non-violent.
Judge Calvin Holden sentenced Jones to life in prison for second-degree murder and to 10 years for second-degree assault, with those sentences running consecutive.
Jones initially had a co-defendant in his murder case: Devon Gallop.
Gallop, 38, was described as Jones' then-girlfriend who sat in the passenger seat of the car during the 2014 shooting.
Murder charges against her were dropped in June, and Gallop was sentenced to four years in prison for second-degree assault instead.
The four-year sentence was part of a plea agreement with Gallop for assaulting a man with a croquet mallet in an incident unrelated to the killing. She testified during Jones' jury trial.
At the beginning of Tuesday's hearing, Dempsey asked that Holden overlook a part of his client's sentencing assessment report.
When Jones had been interviewed for that report, Dempsey said Jones mistakenly thought that person was assessing him for entry into an anger management class.
According to Dempsey, Jones was asked what he does when he gets angry and Jones — in an attempt to get admitted to the anger management class — replied: "I usually beat people's faces in."
After he was sentenced, Jones asked Holden if he could hug his fiance, who was in the courtroom.
Holden said no.
Jones blew a kiss to the woman and mouthed: "I love you."