Two sentenced to life in prison for Sylvania Township deaths. women

SYLVANIA TOWNSHIP, Ohio — More than a year after the murder of Sylvania Township woman Nicole Jones, two people were sentenced to life in prison Tuesday after pleading no contest to murder charges.

Kaitlyn Coones, 18, and Jonathon Jones, 34, pleaded no contest to one count each of aggravated murder and abuse of a corpse in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

The state agreed to dismiss various other charges against the two men in exchange for their pleas.

Both Coones and Jones will be eligible for parole after 25 years.

“This was a horrific event,” prosecutor Julia Bates said in a statement Tuesday. “We are relieved to reach a resolution in this matter. We hope this brings some peace to the family of Nicole Jones. May her memory remain in their hearts forever.”

Coones was arrested on charges of killing Nicole Jones, 53, the mother of her adult boyfriend Jonathon Jones. Coones was 17 years old at the time of the murder in April 2023. Authorities began their investigation after conducting a security check at Nicole Jones' home.

Jonathon Jones and Coones were arrested in Mexico on May 8, 2023, after a manhunt when authorities believed he was on the run with Coones. Jones was wanted on charges out of Wood County for distribution of obscene material and child endangerment.

Coones was charged as an adult for the January 2024 murder.

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According to court documents, Coones told Jones that his mother was stopping them from being together and ordered him to kill her. After failing to comply with his demands, Coones allegedly strangled and hit Nicole Jones with a rock, killing her. Coones told law enforcement that she and Jonathon Jones went to the store and purchased a tarp and cleaning supplies.

Coones and Jonathon Jones then allegedly took Nicole Jones' body to a dumpster at an apartment complex. Surveillance video and GPS tracking through Jones' ankle monitor corroborated Coones' statements about the dumpster and purchases, authorities said.

“On or about April 19, 2023, Defendants, with prior calculation and intent, caused the death of Nicole Jones while treating a human corpse in a manner that would outrage the sensitivities of the community without legal authority.”

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Authorities have not located Jones' body.

On April 18, Robert Jones, the administrator of Nicole Jones' estate, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Coones and Jonathon Jones. According to court documents, the suit seeks relief in the form of $25,000 in addition to other damages.