Ohio officials have shared disturbing details regarding a harrowing "ultimatum" a 17-year-old girl apparently gave her 33-year-old boyfriend.
When Kaitlyn Coones was just 15 years old, she became involved in a physical and romantic relationship with Jonathon Jones. The teen had been through a troubled childhood and had earned a reputation for running away from the children's homes she had been placed in.
Despite Jones pleading guilty to child endangerment and ordered to stay away from the teen, he broke the terms of his release and once again met up with Coones in April 2023.
Coones had allegedly once again escaped from her children’s home in Canton, Ohio, to meet her older boyfriend at a nearby restaurant.
Later on, the pair visited the home of Jones' mom in Sylvania Township, a suburb of Toledo.
Nicole Jones, 53, had disapproved of their relationship - so Coones climbed through a window and hid in her boyfriend's bedroom.
Authorities now say that, while at the home, Coones gave her boyfriend an ultimatum -- either kill his own mother or the teenager would do it herself. She reportedly gave Jonathon Jones five hours to make the decision.
Prosecutor Andy Lastra claims that after the five hours passed, Coones attacked Jones' mother with a rock as she stood in front of a fridge - completely unaware the teen was in her home.
The teen is then accused of strangling the 53-year-old to death.
Nicole's son is then accused of helping his girlfriend dispose of his own mother's body.
After stealing Nicole's car, ID, and credit cards, they purchased garbage sacks and disposed of her body in an apartment complex dumpster.
Speaking in court, a detective for the Sylvania Township Police Department testified: "Kaitlyn had told Jonathan, that they needed to do something about his mother because she was preventing them from being together and she gave him five hours to do something about her, and at one point in the interview, she even mentioned to killing her."
The children's home where Coones had been living then received a message - allegedly from the teenager - saying that she had "killed two people" and was now on the run. Staff at the home had also reported the teenager missing to the authorities.
When officers arrived at Nicole's home - her body could not be found, but there were signs that somebody had attempted to clean up blood on the floor.
On May 6, 2023, a manhunt was launched.
Coones and Jones had managed to flee to Mexico, before finally being apprehended by authorities in Chihuahua two days later.
The teenager reportedly later admitted to killing Nicole during an interview with FBI agents, The Independent reports.
After the pair went to court, Jones received an initial 54-month sentence due to the earlier charges of his involvement with the teenager.
It was also decided that Coones would be certified as an adult in the case.
The teenager was charged with aggravated murder, murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
Meanwhile, Jones was charged with aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse, per court records.
Per ABC13, Nicole's brother - Robert Jones - said in court: "The agony of losing Nicki is compounded by the unimaginable betrayal we feel. We are denied the closure that comes with laying a loved one to rest, and we are haunted by unanswered questions and horrific imaginings of her final moments."
Earlier this year, Judge Gary Cook sentenced both Jones and Coones to life in prison with the eligibility of parole after 25 years.
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