KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman was sentenced Monday to life in prison for her role in the death of her 7-year-old stepson, who authorities say had been brutally abused and whose remains were found in the family’s pigsty.
Heather Jones, 30, pleaded guilty last month to first-degree murder in the death of Adrian Jones, or A.J. Prosecutors have said the case against Jones, who also pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse, wouldn’t have qualified for the death penalty. She must serve 25 years of the life sentence before she is eligible for parole. She also was sentenced to an additional 5 years and 8 months in prison for the abuse counts.
A.J.’s remains were found last November while police were responding to a domestic disturbance at the family’s home in Kansas City, Kansas. Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerome Gorman has declined to address media reports that the boy had been fed to the pigs, but he said the crime scene was “one of the worst things” investigators had ever seen.
The boy’s father, Michael Jones, has pleaded not guilty to premeditated first-degree murder and other charges in the death of A.J., who was his son from another relationship. He is due to stand trial in February.
Prosecutors said the boy had been missing for months before his remains were found near the pigs.
Six other children who ranged in age from 2 to 10 years old at the time were placed in state custody after the discovery.
Heather Jones told The Associated Press last December that her husband, who was a bail bondsman, abused her and A.J. and that she suspected he was going to kill her shortly before he was arrested because she “found out” what had happened to the missing boy.
“I am not God, and I could not save everyone,” she told the AP at the time.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)