A St. Mary's County man who showed up at a Bellevue Court home simply to give someone a ride to work last October ended up shot dead in the driveway, and now both members of the married couple who live there have been convicted in his killing. David Scott Jones, 59, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, while his wife, Djhonna Mari Jones, 47, was found guilty of first- and second-degree murder, officials said.
According to court documents cited by TheBayNet, the victim arrived at the Joneses' Lexington Park home on October 27, 2025, to give one of the occupants a ride to work. As he began backing out of the driveway, another vehicle pulled up and blocked his car from leaving, the outlet reported.
David Jones then got out of that second vehicle and started a verbal altercation with the victim, demanding that he get out of his car, per the same account. The victim stepped out and asked Jones to move his vehicle so he could leave, but Jones refused.
A Gun Passed Hand to Hand
That is when, according to court records, Djhonna Jones went into the home, retrieved a loaded firearm, and handed it to her husband. David Jones, who court records show was legally prohibited from owning a firearm, then shot the victim multiple times, killing him, the article notes.
Deputies with the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to Bellevue Court at approximately 6:40 p.m. that evening after a report of an assault in progress, and were told en route that shots had been fired, according to SoMDNews. Responding deputies, as reported by WJLA, found a man shot in the head and upper body lying on the ground near the driveway; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office said the shooting followed a verbal altercation between David Jones and the victim, a detail confirmed in earlier reporting from SoMDNews on the case.
Guilty Plea and Bench Trial Verdict
David Scott Jones pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, as reported by FOX 5 DC. Djhonna Mari Jones, meanwhile, was found guilty of first- and second-degree murder following a separate proceeding, officials told the station.
David Jones faces a maximum sentence of life plus 20 years in prison, while Djhonna Jones faces a maximum of life plus 25 years, according to the same FOX 5 DC report. St. Mary's County State's Attorney Jaymi Sterling said the victim was trying to help someone get to work when he encountered deadly violence.
“There is nothing that can make this loss any less devastating for the people who knew and loved the victim,” Sterling said, per FOX 5 DC's reporting, which credited the St. Mary's County State's Attorney's Office as its source.
