Murder of Jared Plesec
On the evening of December 2, 2017, in
Crime spree
Jared Plesec was 21 years old at the time he was fatally shot by William Jones in the lobby of his apartment complex.[2] Plesec was recognized by community members for his devout faith and outreach work in the community. He worked with young people, encouraging them to attend church.[3]
Jones made several statements after killing Plesec, screaming in the building lobby "Fuck Trump", "A life for a life" and "I did it fo y'all, man." These 4 minutes were filmed by a building resident and broadcast to
After the murder of Plesec, Jones went on a crime spree in
Sentencing
On April 17, 2018, Jones
Jones prepared and made an
He said "It just seems, when a white life takes a black life, it's justified. Today you seek justice. I can't help but wonder if the shoe was on the other foot, would it be justified instead?"[4] He also invoked the slogan "Black Lives Matter".[7]
He finished the allocution statement by asking "Do black lives really matter, or are just not as important as others?" The sentencing judge replied only that "
Jones was sentenced to life without parole at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing.[7]
Perpetrator
At the time of the murder, Jones was on a released supervision from prison after serving nearly two years for a previous armed carjacking.[7]
Legacy
In 2019 a lawsuit was filed against the management of the apartment complex where Plesec was shot. An attorney for the plaintiffs issued a statement that the Euclid Beach Villa Apartments where the crime took place had a record of "vicious assaults and other crimes". The plaintiffs say the buildings should have had more security.[8]
External links
- Video of Jones "rage statement" broadcast on Facebook Live after the murder
- Video of Jones statement at the sentencing hearing
References
- ^ "Local Salvation Army employee killed with Bible in hand". December 3, 2017.
- ^ "Police: Man killed Salvation Army worker, stole 4 vehicles". December 5, 2017.
- ^ "Shooting victim remembered for his dedicated work with Salvation Army". December 3, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "'63 minutes of mayhem': killer of Cleveland Salvation Army worker cursed Trump in Facebook Live after murder". May 21, 2018.
- cleveland.com. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ "Man pleads guilty in murder of Salvation Army worker". Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. April 17, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Man who killed Salvation Army worker gets life in prison". May 21, 2018.
- ^ "I-TEAM: New push to get justice for man murdered while praying". April 5, 2019.