John Jefferson
Insets: Mark Jones and his son Jacobi Jones (Baltimore County Police Department/GoFundMe). Background: The apartments where Mark Jones allegedly murdered his son Jacobi Jones (WBAL/YouTube).
A Maryland man is accused of killing his 4-year-old son — shooting him in the head on Christmas Eve — after the boy asked him to leave his mom’s bedroom during an argument.
“The agony and pain I feel is something [I] wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy,” writes Promyss Marcelle, mother of victim Jacobi Jones, in a GoFundMe description. “Grieving the loss of my son has been the most unbearable thing I’ve ever had to deal with.”
Mark Jones, 30, allegedly murdered the young boy inside the family’s Rosedale residence during a “domestic-related assault,” according to Baltimore County Police Department officials. He also shot Marcelle and her other child, a 1-year-old girl, multiple times and attempted to take his own life but survived, per officials.
“On Christmas Eve at 6:30am myself, my one and only son, and my daughter were shot by the hands of their father,” Marcelle says on GoFundMe. “I was shot in my head and am fortunate enough to be here to tell this story so is my 1yr old daughter who was shot in her shoulder. Unfortunately, my son who was shot in the head did not make it.”
Speaking to local NBC affiliate WBAL, Marcelle said Jacobi was excited to open his Christmas gifts before his death.
“He kept trying to open the presents but I would tell him you’ve got to wait till Christmas,” Marcelle recalled. “And he never got to open those presents.”
Charging documents obtained by CBS affiliate WJZ and local ABC affiliate WMAR allege that Jones, who is charged with first-degree murder, attacked his son and family during an argument with Marcelle that morning inside of her bedroom. Jacobi Jones allegedly asked his father to leave the room during the fight, prompting him to retrieve a handgun and open fire on him, police say.
“At approximately 6:35 a.m., officers responded to the unit block of Breslin Court, 21237, for reports of a shooting,” BCPD officials said in a press release. “Once on scene, officers located an adult female along with two juveniles suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to the upper body. Medics transported the three victims to an area hospital, where one juvenile was pronounced deceased.”
Marcelle told local news outlets after the shooting that domestic violence was a major problem in her relationship with Mark Jones. Court documents obtained by WMAR show that Jones was previously charged with assault using a firearm in May 2023. He pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, per WMAR, and was sentenced to probation before judgment.
In January 2023, a temporary restraining order was issued against Mark Jones for domestic violence, according to police, but the charge was dismissed for unknown reasons several days later, WMAR reports.
“Even if you’re quote-unquote lonely, or you want to make your family, because some people don’t grow up with moms and dads, so they want to give their kid what they didn’t have, but it’s not worth it,” Marcelle told WBAL. “I know it’s [easier] said, because anybody can say, ‘Hey, leave,’ you know, but you leave when you’re ready. But take my story, now that I was forced to leave, basically, I don’t have my son.”
In addition to murder, Mark Jones is charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder, child abuse and assault. He is being held without bond.
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