Jury returns guilty verdict on felony murder and burglary charges

By Staff
Melissa Dozier-Cason, FCT Writer
After hearing four days of testimony, a Franklin County jury found the man accused of killing his mother seven years ago guilty of Felony Murder and Burglary first.
Henry Roger Jones, 36, now faces a sentence of 20 years to life for each count, and will be sentenced at a later time.
Judge Sharon Hester will pass sentence before leaving office in January.
"This verdict is basically saying that they [the jury] did not believe that he intended to kill his mother when he entered the home, but did end up killing her," District Attorney Joey Rushing said.
The trial consisted of over 25 witnesses and more than 50 pieces of evidence. The state rested its case Thursday and the defense made their case Friday. The jury entered into the deliberation by mid-afternoon Friday.
After slightly more than two hours of deliberation, emotional jury members returned to the courtroom with the verdict.
"We felt like he just did it," one juror said after the verdict was read.
Jones will be transport back to the prison where he is serving a 25-year sentence for a robbery in Morgan County. He will be returned to Franklin County next month.
Rushing and Assistant District Attorney Doug Evans were both pleased with the verdict and felt that justice for the family was served.
"We would like to thank the jury for their careful consideration of this case," Rushing said.
Rushing also said that he would like to thank the Franklin County Sheriff's Department and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation for their hard work in this case.
Jones, 36, was on trial for the 2000 shooting death of his mother, 53-year-old Bonnie Parker Jones.