Baltimore County father found guilty of 4-year-old son's murder on Christmas Eve in 2024

A Baltimore County man was found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of his 4-year-old son on Christmas Eve in 2024.

Mark Jones Jr. was also found guilty of second-degree murder for injuring his 1-year-old daughter and the children's mother. He was found guilty on all other charges except for first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder, because the jury determined the shooting was not premeditated. 

Jones shot and killed 4-year-old Jacobi Jones in Rosedale, Maryland, according to police. His 1-year-old daughter, Peyton, and the children's mother were also shot.   

Difficulty reaching a unanimous verdict

The jurors deliberated for nearly three days before arriving at their decision.

On Monday, jurors remained in the courthouse until they were dismissed around 10 p.m., after struggling to agree on a verdict. 

The first sign of trouble came when the jurors wrote the judge a note saying, "What happens if we can't all agree? A mistrial? We are getting nowhere in terms of agreement."

At some point during a marathon 12 hours of deliberations, the jurors asked, "If we come up with a verdict tonight, does that mean we don't have to come back tomorrow?"

The judge told them to keep working, and a unanimous verdict wasn't decided until Tuesday afternoon.

Deliberations started on Friday, June 26, continued through Monday, and finally ended on Tuesday.

Recap of the trial

The trial involves a horrific case of domestic violence inside an apartment in Rosedale in 2024.

Jones was arrested and charged in the shooting death of his 4-year-old son, Jacobi Jones. Prosecutors alleged he also shot his infant daughter, Peyton, and the children's mother, Promyss Marcelle. 

Jones' defense alleged there was a struggle for the gun and police never investigated whether the mother may have pulled the trigger. 

During closing arguments, prosecutors detailed a "toxic relationship" between the parents. They argued the parents exchanged texts, and the mother, Promyss Marcelle, said she wanted Jones gone.

"I'm begging you to leave my apartment," Marcelle wrote in one text. "I don't want you here."

Jones said, "I don't have to leave." 

Marcelle sent more texts pleading with Jones to leave, with no success on Christmas Eve morning in 2024.

In Jones' final text before the shooting, he wrote to Marcelle, "When you stop the child support, I'll leave."

Marcelle responded, "I'm never stopping it."

Prosecutors said Jones went into the bedroom of the apartment where Marcelle and their two children were staying, and opened fire with a gun registered in his name. Jacobi Jones was shot in the head and killed, while Marcelle and their 1-year-old survived the shooting.

Jones' defense attorneys argued there was a struggle for the weapon and said Marcelle may have pulled the trigger. The defense attorney said police automatically assumed her client was the suspect from the start.

Jurors also heard testimony from detectives and medical examiners, and saw photos and videos of the crime scene.