TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - A Pierce County judge has convicted a 29-year-old Tacoma, Wash., man of second-degree murder in the 2012 death of an acquaintance whose body he later cut up for disposal.
The News Tribune reports (https://is.gd/NiVXiA ) that Superior Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff announced his verdict Tuesday in the bench trial of John Ben Jones Jr.
Sentencing was set for April 11.
Prosecutors originally charged Jones with first-degree murder in March 2012 after his mother noticed a foul smell coming from her son’s bedroom and called police. Investigators found the decomposing body of 54-year-old Wayne Williams. Court records show the man’s legs, head and one arm had been severed with a handsaw and stored in plastic bags.
A medical examiner’s review said it appeared Williams had been strangled.
Jones told police he awoke from a drug-induced stupor to find Williams dead.
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Information from: The News Tribune, https://www.thenewstribune.com
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