KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The stepmother of a 7-year-old boy was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for the little boy’s brutal death.
In early October, prosecutors say Heather Jones, 30, accepted a plea agreement, admitting to the murder of her stepson Adrian, whom they called A.J. They also say she admitted to denying the boy food, chaining him up and tasering him.
Police found A.J.’s remains on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015, the day before Thanksgiving. They had been called to the home when Heather Jones reported her husband, Michael Jones attacked and fired a gun at her. Heather told detectives Michael killed his son and disposed of his body in a livestock pen.
Heather was sentenced to life behind bars, a hard 25 years, meaning she has to serve 25 years before being eligible for parole. She also faces an additional 68 months for other charges.
“She still puts all the blame on Mike, but I believe she’s equally responsible,” AJ’s grandmother Judy Conway said following the sentencing, “She had the opportunity to just pick up the phone and call me thank you and she never made that known to anyone.”
Conway said she wishes it would’ve been life without parole. But just as long as she’s behind bars, that’s the most important thing.”
“I believe that Heather just didn’t care for my grandson,” Conway said. “He was the only male in the house, and I think that she just zeroed in on him. Both Heather and Mike.”
Michael Jones, 45, is also charged and on Thursday he asked a judge to appoint him a new attorney, but the judge denied the request.
Originally both Heather and Michael Jones were charged with first degree murder in the commission of a felony, but those charges were upgraded to premeditated first degree murder.
For Michael Jones, he still faces the upgraded murder charge which carries a minimum 50-year prison sentence if he’s convicted.
The boy went missing towards the end of September 2015. No one ever reported his disappearance.
Speaking publicly about case for first time, KCK mom says she knows what happened to missing stepson
In an interview with FOX 4 in December 2015, Heather Jones said her husband was a violent man and said she was afraid to leave him. They had been married for nine years.
Heather says she told detectives Michael killed A.J. late in the summer, and disposed of the boy`s body in the livestock pen.
“He passed away in his sleep, but it was from injuries that he had sustained from getting beaten,” Heather told FOX 4 in December.
Heather also said then that she was out-of-town at the time of the child`s gruesome murder, but later saw Michael committing the crime on surveillance video. The couple`s home has several security cameras.
