Jones sentenced to 20 years for role in shooting death

A Colbert County man accused of killing a Tharptown resident in August of 2009 received a 20-year sentence at a hearing on Tuesday.

Bobby Ray Jones, 51, formerly of Alabama 72 in Tuscumbia, entered an open plea in February to manslaughter for his involvement in the shooting death of 32-year-old Mitchell Robbins.

The open plea left full discretion of Jones’ sentence to Franklin County Circuit Judge Terry Dempsey, who gave Robbins the maximum sentence allowed for a manslaughter plea.

“Mitchell Robbins’ mother, father and two sisters all spoke at the hearing about how much his death had affected them,” Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing said. “We agree with the judge’s decision and feel this was an appropriate sentence based on the consequences Mr. Jones’ actions had on the victim and his family.”

Jones is accused of shooting Robbins in the mid-section with a sawed-off shotgun on Aug. 22, 2009.

Jones initially told authorities Robbins had committed suicide while he stood nearby, but forensic evidence prompted authorities to charge Jones with murder five days after the incident occurred.

According to authorities, Jones was highly intoxicated when the shooting took place and wasn’t even able to be interviewed until the following day.

“I spoke with the victim’s family about our different options,” Rushing said. “Based on some of the factors at the scene and the highly intoxicated state of Mr. Jones at the time the shooting occurred, we agreed that the manslaughter plea would be appropriate in this case.

The trials for the three other co-defendants in this case are still pending.

Bobby Joe Johnson, 76, was also charged with murder in this case while J.C. Borden, 56, and Johnny Borden, 23, were both charged with first-degree hindering of prosecution.