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Montgomery Advertiser WETUMPKA -- An elderly capital murder suspect is back in the Elmore County Jail after allegedly violating his bond agreement. Paul Norman Jones, 81, of Wetumpka was released in November 2009 due to a heart condition, District Attorney Randall Houston said. Jones was granted permission to travel to Virginia in the custody of his son to receive treatment for the ailment, he added. But prosecutors found out that Jones has been living in Auburn since Dec. 3, and arrested him Tuesday for violating his bond, the prosecutor said. The bond was $25,000, court records show. "He's been having a high old time since returning to Alabama," Houston said, noting that Jones has been under surveillance by his office and the Wetumpka Police Department. "Jones went on a 25-hour long gambling spree this past weekend in Biloxi (Miss.)," Houston said. "I'm sure he has the ailments of an 81-year-old, but he was able to stay up 25 hours to gamble." Wetumpka officers were assisted by the Auburn Police Department on Tuesday in arresting Jones. Tom Azar, Jones' attorney, said Tuesday afternoon that he had just received copies of court documents relating to the arrest and he could not comment at this time. Jones allegedly shot and killed Frank Barrett, 85, in May 2009 with a shotgun, court documents show. Jones was having a property line dispute with Gerald and Linda Ingram, his neighbors in the Meadowbrook subdivision, Houston said. He allegedly first shot the couple that day, Houston said, then walked across the cul-de-sac to Barrett's home and shot him through the doorway as he was calling 911 to report that the couple had been shot. The Ingrams survived and recovered. "This was not a dispute over acres and acres of land, it was over just a few feet of property," Houston said. "The Ingrams did nothing to provoke this attack. Mr. Barrett was an innocent bystander who was trying to get help for his neighbors when he was shot and killed inside his own home. This was a completely senseless act on Jones' part." Jones will remain in the Elmore County Jail until March 31, when Circuit Judge Sibley Reynolds will determine if his bond should be revoked, according to court records. Prosecutors aren't seeking the death penalty in the case because of Jones' age, Houston said. If convicted of capital murder, Jones will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. |
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