Judge Refuses to Withdraw Plea, Sentences Murderer to 19 Years

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During a sentencing Nov. 13, a murder defendant was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Shelby Jones pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting 17-year-old Davon Fisher on the 400 block of Riggs Road, NE. Jones, 19, was initially charged with first-degree murder while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon. Jones pleaded guilty to the murder on Jan. 11. DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Lee Beck accepted Jones’ guilty plea in January. However, Jones tried to withdraw his plea in June, stating that he had limited education and thought the plea agreement represented a maximum sentence as opposed to an agreed sentence. Judge Beck did not accept Jones’ motion to withdraw. She said she was not satisfied with the defendant’s explanation for wanting to get out of the plea. According to the terms of the deal, if Jones pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed, and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, the prosecution would recommend a sentence of 19 years in prison. “Nineteen years is not nearly long enough. In 19 years, I can’t walk by a cemetery and say ‘okay son, you can come back now,'” Fisher’s mother told Judge Beck. The mother said Fisher was her only son. He would have graduated high school and attended the University of the District of Columbia, she said. “The pain is what I remember, because I still feel it.” Fosher’s mother told Judge Beck. She said she has thoughts of suicide, and how she is disappointed to wake up each day, still alive. The prosecutor also told Judge Beck that Jones had shot two other people, who survived, the same day Fisher died. The prosecutor also said that he has never seen someone plead guilty and show less remorse than Jones. Jones’ defense attorney, Dorsey Jones, said that both of Jones’ parents were drug addicts, and he spent much of his childhood in foster care. The attorney told Judge Beck that Jones’ IQ is in the third-percentile for 19 year olds. In his defense, Jones only told the judge that he wanted to withdraw his plea. Even though Judge Beck rejected Jones’ motion to withdraw the plea, she said he had the right to appeal her decision later if he wished. The sentence “is not a reflection on how serious this was or the extent of the loss,” Judge Beck said. A guilty plea brings the case to an end and gives more certainty, she said. Jones is required to serve five years of supervised release after his prison term, He must also register as a gun offender.

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