LEXINGTON, SC (WIS) -
A Cayce man was sentenced to life after
pleading guilty to two counts of murder, following two overturned death penalty
sentences.
Jeffrey Jones, 57, pleaded guilty Oct. 18 to avoid a
third death penalty trial at the Lexington County Courthouse after he was
arrested in the Feb. 2, 1996, murders of John Pipkin, 63, and Susan Furman, 44.
Jones is also guilty of first-degree burglary, armed robbery and criminal
conspiracy.
Jones and his accomplice James Alfred Brown, 57, went to
Pipkin's home because Jones was angry with Pipkin, his employer at a canteen
where he worked, because Jones said Pipkin deducted an "excessive" amount from
Jones' paycheck for snacks and drinks consumed on the job, according to court
documents.
When both men arrived at the home, Pipkin let them inside
once Jones identified himself. Brown held Furman by the arms, while Jones hit
her repeatedly in the head with the brick. Brown then hit Pipkin once with the
hammer and then gave the hammer to Jones, who hit Pipkin to death.
An autopsy showed Pipkin and Furman died of blunt-force
trauma to the head, which showed marks consistent with a hammer and a piece of
brick. Police said about $1,000 was missing from the home, as well as credit
cards.
The crime scene left no physical evidence, except a
bloody boot print. Once Brown confessed, he led investigators to the hammer
used in the murder, and Jones was arrested and charged, court documents said.
Brown pleaded guilty and started his life sentence in
June 1999 at Broad River Correctional Institute.
Jones had his first jury trial and was found guilty on
the five charges and sentenced to death. An appeal was filed and the state
Supreme Court found four errors in the guilt phase: the defense was entitled to
cross-examine Brown regarding his past dealings with the 11th
Circuit solicitor's office; the foot impression evidence was not scientifically
reliable; testimony that Jones was the prime suspect was not admissible; and
the trial court could not change the reasonable doubt instruction after defense
counsel's closing argument.
The second murder trial was also appealed in 2009 after
the jury reached the same verdict with a death sentence. Jones' attorney said
the same foot imprint evidence was admitted again.
Since Jones agreed to plead guilty to the five charges
instead of having a third jury trial, the solicitor's office decided to remove
its notice of intent to seek a death sentence. In exchange, Jones waived his
right to be considered for parole in the future.
Jones is currently at Kirkland Correctional Institute.
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James Brown
Jeffrey Jones
