Jerry Jones was present at the Gordon County Courthouse to request a competency hearing now set for Dec. 2. (Tricia Dillard/Calhoun Times)
Joe Campbell, District Attorney for Gordon County, said the hearing is a step towards an appeals process for Jones’ death row sentence and psychiatrists from both sides, who have examined Jones, are expected to testify.
Campbell said anyone who is on death row has the opportunity to file a direct appeal, since the death penalty is the harshest and most closely-examined sentence.
“We are talking about someone’s life or death,” he said. “It (court proceedings where the death penalty is a possibility) is the most scrutinized type of litigation.”
At next Friday’s hearing, Jones’ defense attorneys and the Gordon County District Attorney’s Office are expected to present their findings from previous psychiatric evaluations of Jones to Gordon County Superior Court Judge Carey Nelson.
Jones’ defense has not yet officially filed documents for an appeal, according to Campbell.
The attorneys had the chance to do so during an Aug. 5 hearing, which took place in order to set a date for the competency hearing, he said.
Ultimately, Campbell said, the hearing will address Jones’ sanity. The decision that lies before Judge Nelson will be, “does Jones understand what’s going on?” Campbell explained.
According to previous coverage:
Jones pleaded guilty in 2006 to killing four people, including his 10-month-old daughter, Jerri Georgia Jones, his daughter with former girlfriend Melissa Peeler; Georgia Mae Bradley, Peeler’s sister; and Tom and Nola Blaylock, Peeler’s stepfather and mother.
On Jan. 7, 2004, Jones went to the home of Bradley; bound her arms behind her back with duct tape and questioned her about why her sister, his longtime girlfriend, Melissa Peeler, left him. He then cut her clothes off, taped her face with duct tape, strangled her, put a plastic bag over her head and shoved her in a closet.
Jones then waited for Tom Blaylock to leave his home, shot him and covered his body with a tarp before going into the Blaylock’s house and shooting Nola Blaylock three times.
Jones also killed his 10-month-old daughter, Jerri Georgia Jones, by hanging her with an electrical cord.
A police chase ensued when Jones kidnapped Peeler’s three children, including his daughter, Brandy Jones. Jerry Jones crashed the vehicle in a suburb of Chattanooga.
The three children were not hurt, however, Jerry Jones attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the face.
It seems that Mr. Jones is getting more consideration than the man that was executed a few months ago. I beleive his name was Troy Davis. I also beleive he may have been innocent. we know Mr. Jones is guilty.
What we don't know is does Mr. Jones have any regrets?
Secondly, if you "believe" his name to be Troy Davis, then you apparently don't know enough about the case to be entitled to an opinion! Troy Davis was guilty as charged, and justice was served. The sadness in this case is the fact that the liberal media made such a huge deal out of the fact that 9 witnesses allegedly changed their testimony in his case. 9. 9, out of 47 witnesses who testified against him, only 9 changed their testimony! Of those 9, one has been in and out of prison for drug offenses, and should never have been allowed to testify in the first place! 9/47 is less than 1/5 of the total witnesses!
Thirdly, Davis had his day in court...multiple times! Judges constantly ruled against his motions for lack of merit. Seems to me, given I work in Capital Defense (the defense of persons sentenced to death...yes DEFENSE), that the state proved their case BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT (the burden of proof necessary to convict in criminal trial), and multiple judges at both the State and Federal level agreed.
As for Jerry Jones. He is getting what the law allows, nothing more, nothing less. The hypocrisy with this is the fact that the victims in this case did not get this opportunity. They did not get to DIE, then appeal their death to some higher power for possible re-birth! They were sentenced to death, and executed by the same person! Jerry Jones, by all accounts, should be given the same opportunity, however, our system of laws and justice is not perfect...that's why it works.
To compare Jones' case to Troy Anthony Davis' case is ignorant. The two cases are nothing alike, nor bear any similarity.
If your going to hold a position in the "Capital Defense" I suggest you learn to set an example by not putting others down for their opinions.
I believe others thought Troy Davis might be innocent as well. Try looking over the news coverage of the night he was executed. I'm pretty sure you'll see the protestors.
Mr. Jones committed these murders, we know that beyond a shadow of a doubt. He had small children in the car with him when he was captured. I'm sure they were put through more than you or I even know, or for that matter would want to!
I wish you luck in your job. It has to be a hard one at times.