Judge Ronna Beck sentenced Felicia Jones Friday to six years in prison in connection with the stabbing death of 30-year-old Jodie Lamont Ward.
Jones, 31, was arrested for Ward’s death on October 20, 2011, shortly after firefighters found Ward unconscious on the floor of Jones’ Southeast DC home with a knife protruding from his ear; she was later charged with second-degree murder.
In a letter read in open court Friday, Jones said that Ward was “a friend that I cared about.”
“I apologize to Jodie’s family and I am sorry for their loss,” the letter said. “If I wasn’t on PCP, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Jones stood trial in January, but the jury in that trial would not reach a verdict. After two days of jury deliberations, jurors announced that they were deadlocked.
Six weeks later Jones plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
Jones testified at trial that she stabbed Ward after he slipped into a PCP-fueled rage and destroyed her child’s playroom. Jones said that Ward dragged her upstairs, and during the struggle, she grabbed a knife and stabbed him in the ear.
“I feel like the sentence should have been higher,” said Ward’s aunt, Robin Ward, who attended the sentencing Friday. “She admitted to [the murder] on video.”
According to the plea agreement, Jones faced a sentence of five to six years in prison. The sentence to six years was the maximum allowed according to the terms of the agreement.
“There was a life lost here,” said Judge Ronna Beck. “That’s really what it comes down to.”
