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Murder of Willard Davis

On February 2nd, 1994, 17-year-old TJ Jones was hanging out and drinking with Edgar Fletcher, Sanford Ray Jimerson, and Latecia Howard.

Jones asked them if they were “down for a jack,” meaning did they want to carjack someone? They all agreed, and the four went to a known gang hangout nearby to borrow a gun.

Around 1 pm, they saw 75-year-old Willard Davis backing out of the driveway at his Longview, Texas home in a red Chrysler Labron.

They approached him, and Jones had a 357 magnum at his side. He ordered the elderly man to get out of the vehicle.

Davis complied and exited while Jones’s three friends climbed in.

Jones then ordered Davis to get back into the car. He wanted to take Davis to a different location and rob him. Davis refused, so Jones shot him in the forehead, killing him. Jones hopped into the car’s driver’s seat and took off with his friends.

They blew a tire and crashed the car a few blocks away. All four teens were quickly arrested and confessed to the crime.

Jones’s three accomplices received lengthy prison terms for their roles in the crime, but Jones got a much harsher punishment.

After Jones’s arrest, it came to light that three days before the murder, he had shot a store clerk 5 times during a robbery. The man survived but was left disabled.

In prior years, the 8th-grade dropout Jones was also accused of theft and vandalism. He also had connections to a violent gang that was involved in several criminal activities.

Trial, Sentencing & Execution

Jones went to trial in the fall of 1994. His defense made claims that the gun went off accidentally. The jury didn’t buy it, and he was convicted of capital murder on October 24th, 1994.

During the penalty phase of his trial, the store clerk Jones shot testified against him, and the jury got a good look at how dangerous Jones could be.

He was sentenced to death, despite being under 18 when the crime was committed. By 2002, Jones was ready to die and asked his lawyers not to ask for clemency or file any more appeals.

On August 8th, 2002, Jones devoured a last meal of a triple cheeseburger, french fries, four pieces of chicken, and a fried pork chop sandwich.

He was marched to the death chamber later that day. As his victim’s family and his mother watched him get the ultimate punishment, Jones stated, “I would like to say to the victim’s family I regret the pain I put y’all through. I hope you can move on after this. Mom, I love y’all. Take care. I’m ready.”

He was pronounced dead due to lethal injection at 6:18 pm. He was the 20th teenager executed for crimes committed when he was under 18 since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

In 2005, it was ruled unconstitutional to execute people for crimes they committed while under the age of 18.