Deoni Jones | Homicide Watch DC

Family Remembers Deoni Jones With Second Memorial And Foundation

Kristian Hernandez — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 18:51:12 -0500

Alvin Bethea speaks at his daughter's memorial on Saturday Feb. 8, 2014 (Photo by Danya P. Hernandez)

It's been two years since Deoni Jones, a 23-year-old transgender woman, was stabbed in the head and killed at a Southeast DC bus stop. And though her family and friends are seeking justice through the courts, they are also taking steps to prevent other transgender residents in DC from being victims of violence.

On Saturday, about 100 family members, friends, and supporters gathered for a memorial and rally to launch the Deoni Jones Foundation. The event was held at the St. Luke’s Center across the street from where Jones was murdered and where a memorial was held last year.

On February 12, 2012, Jones was waiting at a bus stop on the 4900 block of East Capitol Street Northeast. She was on her way to visit friends when she was stabbed in the head by a stranger.

Her family believes that the murder was a hate crime because the suspect, 55-year-old Gary Montgomery, could tell Jones was a transgender woman.

Montgomery is expected to stand trial on a charge of first-degree murder while armed in October. He has not been charged with a hate crime.

Alvin Bethea, 56, has launched the Deoni Jones Foundation in memory of his daughter and to support the LGBTQ community. He intends to work with D.C. council members and LGBTQ supporters to prevent future violence against transgender residents in D.C.

"They can put the resources, the programs and the laws in place to prevent the kind of thing that happened to Deoni from happening in the future," Bethea said.

According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, transgender people have been murdered on an average of more than one person per month. They also state that transgender people face an unconscionable level of bias-motivated violence, especially for young, low-income transgender women of color.

Bethea said Jones always knew who she was but struggled to find her place in society; dealing with constant discrimination and lack of equal opportunities.

“Deoni was always that way,” Bethea said. “I remember I used to try and teach her how to box and how to play baseball but she wanted no part in it. Deoni would faithfully come into his mother’s and my bedroom and put on her perfume and they would discuss which one smelled the best. We accepted her for who she was."

Of violence faced by transgender people, activist Bobbi Stragg said at Jones' memorial Saturday, “If what we are facing goes unchallenged then it’s like it never happened.”

Gary Montgomery to Stand Trial in Death of Deoni Jones

Kristian Hernandez — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 18:06:45 -0500

Gary Montgomery was found mentally competent Friday to stand trial for the death of transgender woman Deoni Jones. Montgomery is charged with first-degree murder.

It’s been more than two years since 23-year-old Jones, also known as JaParker, was stabbed in the side of the head while sitting at a metro stop in Northeast DC.

She died at a hospital the next day and family members are convinced that she was killed for being transgender.

At Friday's hearing, Jones's father Alvin Bethea, stood up and interrupted the hearing to express his discontent with the prosecution.

“There has been a great deal of disrespect and lack of sympathy and empathy,” Jones father, Alvin Bethea, said of prosecutors' treatment of him and his wife, “We are suffering more than enough.”

A trial date is set for October 6. Prosecutors have not filed any hate crime charges despite the family’s allegations.

A video from a surveillance camera near the 4900 block of East Capital Street Northeast shows Jones on Feb. 2, 2012, at approximately 8 p.m. being followed by a black male walking with a limp to a bus stop. According to court documents, a witness in the area described this man as a black male about 5'11, wearing a black jacket. The witness said the man approached Jones and struck her on the head. On the video, Jones appears to collapse on the sidewalk.

Police later identified Montgomery, a pan-handler in the area, as a suspect. He was arrested Feb. 10, 2012.

In mental health examinations, 55-year-old Montgomery has shown symptoms including schizophrenia, hallucinations, thought disorder and an irritable mood.

In April 5, 2013, after continuous hospitalization at St. Elizabeths Hospital, Montgomery was released after treatment and several examinations.

But Judge Robert Morin said Montgomery did not fare well in jail and that "his mental health deteriorated.” In order to maintain Montgomery's mental health through the trial preparations, Morin on Friday ordered Montgomery to remain at the psychiatric hospital despite the competency finding.

Meanwhile, Jones' family is marking the second anniversary of her death.

A memorial rally is scheduled tomorrow, Feb. 8, 2014, at St. Luke's Church from 4 to 8 p.m. This is the second annual memorial held in Jones remembrance; the first was held at the bus stop where she was stabbed.

Among the list of speakers at the rally is Mayor Vincent C. Gray, who also attended last year. Other guests include the Gay and Lesbian Opposing Violence task force (GLOV), and council members David Catania and Jim Graham.

Gary Montgomery Currently Incompetent to Stand Trial for Death of Deoni Jones

Ivan Natividad — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 22:08:28 -0500

Mental health experts have found Gary Montgomery incompetent to stand trial for the February 2012 stabbing death of 23-year-old Deoni Jones.

Police found Jones on February 2, 2012 around 8:15 p.m. at a bus stop in the 4900 block of East Capitol Street Northeast suffering from a stab wound. She was transported to a local hospital and was admitted in critical condition. She died the next day.

One week later, Montgomery, 56, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder while armed in Jones' death.

According to court documents, Judge Robert Morin found Montgomery not fit to stand trial, based on the findings of a 30-day competency examination Montgomery went through from October to November.

A mental health report filed on November 27 states that Montgomery currently should not stand trial because he experiences mental illness symptoms including schizophrenia, hallucinations, thought disorder and an irritable mood.

"[Montgomery] was observed 'talking quietly to himself,'" the report states. "Mr. Montgomery began to demonstrate more psychotic symptoms such as worsening of disorganized thinking, bizarre hoarding behaviors, and unprovoked aggressive behavior."

Evaluators also stated that between Montgomery's first and second examination, he made "substantial progress toward the restoration of competence to stand trial."

In April, doctors at St. Elizabeth Hospital found Montgomery mentally competent to stand trial.

But Montgomery's defense attorney, Anthony Matthews, pushed for a contested mental competency hearing.

Montgomery will undergo further evaluations, at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, and remains held there pending a mental observation hearing on Feb. 7, 2014.

Doctors Say Gary Montgomery Competent to Stand Trial

Sam Pearson — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:33:50 -0400

Doctors at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, where Gary Montgomery has been held for mental evaluation since Jan. 29, have told Judge Robert Morin that Montgomery, suspected in the stabbing death 23-year-old JaParker Deoni Jones, is mentally competent to stand trial.

But Montgomery's attorneys may push for further studies, saying that Montgomery's reported lucid behavior with doctors has not been experienced by his attorneys.

Jones was killed Feb. 2, 2012 at a bus stop in Southeast DC.

Montgomery, 55, is charged with first-degree murder while armed. In January a forensic screening for competency was ordered by the court.

In a letter to the court received Friday, Dr. Solomon Meltzer, a forensic psychiatrist at the facility, wrote that during evaluation Montgomery demonstrated an understanding of nearly all of the specific parts of a criminal trial. He also identified the jury, defense attorney, judge and prosecutor, along with their functions.

Montgomery “repeatedly expressed understanding of the manner in which evidence can affect the outcome of a trial,” the letter said. It added Montgomery explained the reasoning behind his legal strategy “in a clear and rational way.”

The letter reported Montgomery didn’t exhibit any signs of mental illness during the interview, like hallucinating or hearing voices.

In court Friday, Montgomery’s attorney, Anthony Matthews, said the results surprised him and indicated he may push for a contested mental competency hearing.

“The lucidity the doctor observes is something we have yet to see,” Matthews told the court.

Judge Morin set a status hearing for May 9 at 9:30 a.m.

Gary Montgomery competency letter (PDF)Gary Montgomery competency letter (Text)

Mayor, City Officials Join in Remembering JaParker Deoni Jones

Chris Amico — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:56:59 -0500

A memorial for JaParker Deoni Jones, killed a year ago this week, drew more than 100 people, including D.C.'s mayor, the Washington Blade reports.

The man suspected of killing Jones, Gary Niles Montgomery, has been charged with first-degree murder while armed, but Jones' family has called for classifying the stabbing as a hate crime.

Jones' friends and family members have said they believe the true motive was hatred toward a transgender person rather than robbery. At the time of Montgomery's arrest, a police investigator said police were considering the possibility that the incident was a hate crime.

When asked about the family’s and community's concerns over the lack of a hate crime designation to the case, Gray told reporters after the memorial ended that he would ask the D.C. Attorney General's office to look into the matter.

"I think there ought to be a clear indication of why or why not this is viewed or not viewed as a hate crime," Gray said. "The family clearly is not satisfied. And I think we all owe it to them to give a clear explanation over why the direction of the case is proceeding the way it is."

Gray added, "We can get our attorney general to make a statement to the U.S. Attorney's office to say we want a clear determination on this situation. And let the family have peace on this because they clearly are still very restive about this whole situation."

At the event, Mayor Vincent Gray announced a new effort by the Office of GLBT Affairs to push for harsher punishments in hate crime cases, MyFoxDC reports:

Trial Date Set for Gary Niles Montgomery in the Murder of JaParker Jones

Penny Ray — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:10:26 -0500

Judge Robert Morin set a trial date of June 10 for Gary Niles Montgomery, who is accused of murdering 23-year-old JaParker Deoni Jones.

Montgomery, 55, is suspected of stabbing and killing Jones in February.

Morin said he would decide at a status hearing Jan. 18 if Montgomery should be placed on supervised release prior to his trial or remain in DC Jail.

Montgomery's defense attorney, Colle Latin, argued in a motion filed with the court that the government had not shown that Montgomery was a flight risk or posed a danger to society.

And a key piece of evidence against Montgomery, a fuzzy black-and-white surveillance video, does not clearly identify Montgomery, Latin said.

The video shows a man and Jones waiting at a bus stop in the 4900 block of East Capitol Street Northeast. After a few moments, the man follows Jones off-camera, and then back into the camera's view, according to the charging documents.

The man then strikes Jones once in the head and picks up what detectives believe to be Jones' purse.

Montgomery whispered quietly to himself throughout the hearing as both attorneys argued whether the video clearly identified him.

According to charging documents, detectives used a witness at the scene and two other witnesses who contacted police after seeing the video on local television. One recognized Montgomery because of an identifiable limp, according to the documents.

An autopsy showed Jones died from a single stab wound to the face that penetrated her skull.

Latin told the court Montgomery did not have a history of convictions for violent crimes and lived in the same neighborhood for more than 20 years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gorman argued that Montgomery had failed to appear in court twice when he faced past criminal charges and was likely to do so again.

Gary Montgomery Pleads Not Guilty In Murder of Japarker Deoni Jones

Penny Ray — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:34:54 -0500

Gary Niles Montgomery pleaded innocent Friday at his arraignment on a charge of first-degree murder while armed in the stabbing death of Japarker Deoni Jones.

Jones, 23, died on Feb. 2 from a stab wound to the face that penetrated her skull.

Montgomery, 55, was arrested in February after a witness told police that Montgomery was the man shown on a surveillance recording of the incident that aired on local news channels.

The recording shows a man and Jones waiting at a bus stop in the 4900 block of East Capitol Street Northeast. One witness, who was present moments before the incident took place, identified Montgomery from a photograph lineup as the man sitting next to Jones, according to charging documents.

After the man is seen following Jones off-camera, and then back into the camera's view, he strikes Jones once in the head and then picks up what detectives believe to be Jones's purse.

Witnesses on scene attempted to apprehend the man, but were unable to.

Another witness contacted police after seeing the video on the news and identified Montgomery by his beard and limp. Prosecutors say Montgomery was a panhandler who had been living in the basement of a house on 44th Street Northeast, according to charging documents.

Witnesses reported that Montgomery appeared to be under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident, according to charging documents.

Street Memorials, Crime Scenes, on Washington's Other Monuments

Laura Amico — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:36:31 -0500

Washington's Other Monuments has photos of street memorials and crime scenes left in the wake of recent homicides.

For Francisco "Franky" Rivas:

For JaParker Deoni Jones:

For Juan Antonio Paredes:

Charging Documents Describe how Witnesses Helped Police Close JaParker Deoni Jones Homicide

Laura Amico — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:12:38 -0500

Documents charging Gary Montgomery with fatally stabbing JaParker Deoni Jones leave open the possibility that Jones could have been the subject of a robbery attempt.

Two witnesses who were stopped at a red light close to the bus stop where Jones was killed told police that Jones was struck in the face and her purse grabbed by the perpetrator. When one of the witnesses confronted the man, he dropped the purse and ran. One of the witnesses gave pursuit and aprehended him, but was distracted when the other witness yelled for help, giving the man the opportunity to escape.

MPD released part of a surveillance video from the crime, showing a man believed to be the perpetrator leaving the crime scene. Members of the public identified that man as a panhandler in the neighborhood near the bus stop. MPD said they responded to the tip and arrested Niles.

A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 23.

Gary Montgomery Held in JaParker Deoni Jones Slaying

Laura Amico — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:47:03 -0500

Gary Montgomery was ordered held this morning pending a preliminary hearing on a charge that he fatally stabbed transgender woman JaParker Deoni Jones in the face at a Northeast DC bus stop last week.

A preliminary hearing date was set for Feb. 23 with Judge Robert Morin.

Montgomery, a 55-year-old Northeast D.C. man was arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of second-degree murder.

At a press conference Friday afternoon, MPD Chief Cathy Lanier credited the community with helping to apprehend a suspect in the case.

Arrest Made in Fatal Stabbing of Transgender Woman JaParker Jones: MyFoxDC.com

Gary Niles Montgomery Suspected in Stabbing Death of JaParker Deoni Jones

Laura Amico — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:26:33 -0500

MPD reports that a 55-year-old Northeast DC man has been arrested in connection with the stabbing death of JaParker Deoni Jones.

Gary Niles Montgomery is suspected of second degree murder while armed, MPD said.

A press release is after the jump.

(Washington, DC)- Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced an arrest has been made in the fatal stabbing, which occurred in the 4900 block of East Capitol Street, Northeast.
On Thursday, February 2, 2012, at approximately 8:13 pm, a Metro Transit Police Officer was flagged down for an assault at a bus stop in the 4900 block of East Capitol Street, Northeast. Upon arrival, the officer located the victim, who was unconscious and unresponsive suffering from a stab wound. Units from the Sixth District and DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to the scene. The victim was transported to a local hospital and was admitted in critical condition.

On Friday, February 3, 2012, at 2:35 am, the victim was pronounced dead. The victim has been identified as 23-year-old JaParker Jones of Northeast, Washington, DC, who is also known as “Deoni” and “Logan.”

Detectives released a video and sought the public's assistance in identifying a person of interest in this case.

On Friday, February 10, 2012, at approximately 2:25 pm, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested 55-year-old Gary Niles Montgomery of Northeast, DC pursuant to a DC Superior Court arrest warrant, charging him with Murder Two while Armed in the homicide of JaParker Jones.

MPD wishes to thank members of the media for publicizing this case and members of the public for their assistance, as well.

Comment of the Day: Location Change for Deoni JaParker Jones' Funeral

Laura Amico — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:44:50 -0500

This Comment of the Day comes from Ashleysfuneralgroup@gmail.com regarding Deoni JaParker Jones:

Attention Family and Friends: Thank you all for the support and love that has been expressed to the family of JaParker Deoni Jones. Currently there has been a change of services for security reasoning. JaParker Jones funeral service will be held at the Covenant Baptist Church, located at: 3845 South Capitol Street SW Washington, DC. Service date will remain the same, for this Saturday Feb. 11, 2012. Viewing time begins at 9:00am with Funeral Services to begin at 11:00am. Please come out to support the family and friends and express your love an kindness to the family during this tragic time. Metropolitan Police Dept. will be providing a strong police presents for security. Thank you for your support. for further detailes, please contact:
Ashley-Latney Funeral Home (Shaun Ashley Reid) funeral director at the following: 202-688-2400 or 571-327-4555 God Bless

Washington Blade: More than 200 Gather to Remember Deoni JaParker Jones

Laura Amico — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:29:10 -0500

More than 200 people attended a vigil Tuesday night for Deoni JaParker Jones, a transgender woman fatally stabbed in Northeast DC last week, the Washington Blade reports.

Wrote the Blade:

Surrounded by family members and friends, Jones’ stepfather, Alvin Bethea, made an emotional appeal for witnesses to come forward to identify a male suspect that police believe stabbed Jones in the face about 8:15 p.m. at the bus stop at East Capitol Street and Sycamore Road, N.E.

“We suspect that the person who did this lives in this community or hangs out in this community,” Bethea said. “Help the Metropolitan Police Department out… If anybody knows anything, please contact them.”

Vigil Tuesday, Funeral Saturday for Japarker Deoni Jones

Laura Amico — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:17:30 -0500

JaParker Deoni Jones

The DC Trans Coalition issued an invitation Monday to join "community members, family, and friends at the bus stop at East Capitol and Sycamore Streets NE at 5:30pm Tuesday, February 7, for a candlelight vigil in memory of Deoni Jones."

A funeral service for Jones is planned for Saturday. According to Ashleys Mortuary Services and Latney Funeral Home:

JaParker Jones will lie en-state at the: Holy Christian Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday February 11th, 2012. Viewing time begins at 12:30 pm, with Funeral Services to follow beginning at 2:00 pm. We ask that all visitors and friends please arrive early as early as 12:00 noon in order to receive seating and parking. We expect a very large crowd and Dignitaries from the city council, Metropolitan Police Department and other organizations. Interment will be private.

MPD Releases Video of "Person of Interest" in Deoni Japarker Jones Homicide

Laura Amico — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:11:53 -0500

MPD has released a video in connection with the stabbing death of Deoni Japarker Jones in Northeast DC Thursday night.

Reports MPD:

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the stabbing death of JaParker Jones of Northeast, Washington, DC, who is also known as "Deoni" and "Logan." The stabbing occurred between 8:10 and 8:15 pm at the bus stop in the 4900 block of East Capitol Street, NE. Detectives are seeking the public's assistance in identifying the subject crossing the middle of the intersection in this video. Anyone with information is asked to call 202 727-9099 or text to the TIP Line at 50411.

The subject in the video is seen crossing the street toward the top of the screen as he approaches the bus stop. He is described as a black male with medium complexion, 30-40 years of age, with a beard. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black jacket with a gray hooded sweatshirt underneath.