Teenage girl gave boyfriend five hours to kill his own mum or she would

Kaitlyn Coones
-Credit: (Image: Solon Police)


A runaway teenager sparked a police manhunt after authorities thought she had been kidnapped from a children’s home. Kaitlyn Coones, 17, had a history of running away from care units when she went missing from a home in Canton, Ohio, in April 2020.

The courts had ordered older boyfriend Jonathon Jones, 33, to stay away from her. But Coones found a way to sneak out at night at meet Jones at a local restaurant so they could be together.

Jones drove them to his mum's home in a nearby suburb. His mum Nicole, 53, disapproved of the relationship. Coones crawled through Jones' bedroom window and hid, knowing if police found out she was there, they would both be in serious trouble.

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The previous month Jones had been found guilty for charges relating to his relationship with Coones, which started when she was just 15. He pleaded guilty to child endangerment and pandering obscene material after having sex with Coones and taking pictures of her when she was underage and in the custody of social services. Jones was ordered to wear a GPS tracking device before his upcoming sentencing and banned from seeing Coones. They had defied the court order.

Authorities were concerned for the safety of Coones with Jones being an older man, facing charges for his inappropriate relationship with a minor. A police search was launched amid fears the troubled teen had been abducted by Coones.

But shortly after a member of staff at the children's home received a message that said Coones had “killed two people” and was on the run. It also claimed one of the victims was Jones’ mum, The Mirror reports.

Nicole Jones was attacked in her kitchen
Nicole Jones was attacked in her kitchen -Credit:ABC 13

Police raced to Nicole's home, but there was no trace of Coones or Jones. And Nicole was missing. In the kitchen, there were signs that someone had tried to clean up blood on the floor and under the fridge.

On May 6, a nationwide manhunt was launched. With Jones’ recent convictions, the investigators believed that Coones had been kidnapped by Jones and suspected he had killed his mother.

The pair were last seen in Nicole’s car, in Arizona, heading towards the Mexican border.

Jones was still wearing his GPS device so the police were able to track him as the pair headed into Mexico. He missed his sentencing court appearance. Finally on May 8, they were found in Chihuahua, Mexico. They had Nicole’s ID and credit cards.

The couple were questioned by the police, but it soon became clear that Coones hadn’t been kidnapped at all. In fact, she confessed that the whole thing – including Nicole’s murder – was her idea. During interviews, a truly shocking story was revealed.

Coones gave Jones' a deadly ultimatum on April 19, after stating that Nicole had been "interfering" in her relationship. She gave him five hours to kill his mum, or she would do it herself. Coones threatened to end their relationship if he didn’t go through with it. When the time was up and Jones hadn’t acted, Coones gave him an extra hour. When he still hadn’t killed Nicole, Coones stepped in.

Coones told the police that she had gone outside to find a large rock. Nicole was standing in front of the fridge, bending down, when Coones attacked her from behind. Coones hit her over the head with the rock and strangled her to death. Jones was allegedly sitting in the living room at the time of the attack – but he then played his part.

Jones had served in Afghanistan
Jones had served in Afghanistan -Credit:ABC 13

Jones helped Coones get rid of his mother’s body. They drove to a local store and bought tarpaulin and bin bags, where they were recorded on surveillance cameras. They wrapped Nicole’s body in the tarp and put her in the trunk of her own car and attempted to clean up the crime scene.

They then drove to an apartment complex and threw Nicole’s body into a dumpster. The police believe her remains were picked up by a rubbish truck and taken to landfill. Jones’ GPS tracker confirmed the chain of events.

Coones told the police she thought the killing would “bring them closer together as a couple”. Coones and Jones were both charged with murder. It was decided that Coones would be tried as an adult.

Nicole’s heartbroken family desperately wanted to find her body so they could have a proper burial, but she has never been found. There had been three weeks between the body being picked up and the crime being discovered. A search, across two jurisdictions, would have been complex and very costly. Nicole’s body has never been found.

Lawyers for Coones insisted she was the “victim” who had been under the control of Jones. They said she couldn’t have physically killed Nicole on her own and there was no evidence that she had sent the message to the staff member at the home.

Jones was sentenced to 54 months in prison in connection with the earlier charges relating to Coones. Then he and Coones made a plea deal.

Coones, now 18, and Jones, 34, were both sentenced to life in prison with the chance of parole after 25 years. Nicole’s grieving brother, Robert Jones, shared the trauma of the murder and the agony of not being able to lay Nicole to rest.

“There are no words that can describe the depth of our grief, the extent of our pain, or the magnitude of our loss,” he said. “Her murder has shattered our world, leaving a void that can never be filled.”

After the sentencing, a civil lawsuit for wrongful death was filed by Nicole’s family against Coones and Jones for damages. The agony of not having Nicole’s body only added to her family’s grief.

Nicole’s brutal murder was the result of a chilling five-hour ultimatum by a teenage girl. It was thought Coones had been kidnapped but she and Jones had been in it together.

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