Following a trial that cast a shadow over Jefferson Parish, Monica Every and Louis Gordon were handed life sentences for their involvement in the murder-for-hire death of Charlene Jones, as detailed by a Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office announcement. Convicted on charges including second-degree murder and conspiracy, Every, 52, and Gordon, 37, orchestrated and executed the killing in January 2022, which stemmed from a personal vendetta.
According to the trial details, Every's desire to see her ex-boyfriend's new relationship end turned lethal when she hired Gordon, motivated by jealousy from a terminated romance on Christmas 2021, under a campaign of harassment that led her to falsely accuse Jones of involvement with a weapon linked to an earlier crime. Gordon carried out the grim contract on the morning of Jan. 27, 2022, confronting and shooting Jones three times as she was about to commute to her job.
During the sentencing hearing, the impact of the crime was palpable as one of Jones' daughters addressed Every, saying, "You got my mother murdered because you couldn’t handle being unwanted." She described Every's obsession with her ex, and concluded that Jones' strength "flows through every tear I cry, every breath I take and every word I speak right now," in a moving testimony reported by the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office.
Life in prison without the possibility of probation, parole, or suspended sentences is Louisiana's mandatory punishment for second-degree murder. Judge R. Christopher Cox III of the 24th Judicial District Court delivered this very sentence to Every and Gordon. Additionally, Every received 30 years for conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and 20 for solicitation, served concurrently, while Gordon's sentence included 30 years for conspiracy, 20 years for possession of a firearm by a felon, and 40 for obstruction of justice, the latter to run consecutively with his life sentence.
