The murder of Megan Sharpton was reported. Early on July 2, 2012, a 24-year-old nursing student’s burned remains were found in Tullahoma, Tennessee, by the side of a country road.
The night before, Megan had abruptly changed her plans for dinner with her family and was en route to a job interview.
A post-mortem analysis revealed that she had been sexually abused, shot in the face, and then set on fire before someone discovered her body a few hours later.
Law enforcement authorities were able to connect Donnie Jones Jr. to the murder of Megan Sharpton by using crucial evidence like GPS tracking, a vital witness, and a DNA sample.
Donnie, the husband of one of Sharpton’s friends and former classmates, was accused of seducing the victim with the pretence of a job interview, assaulting her sexually, killing her, and then setting fire to her private parts with an accelerant.
At 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 14, 2023, a brand-new episode of Murder Comes to Town on ID was broadcast, featuring the Megan Sharpton case.
The “Answering the Call” episode covered the specifics of the murder investigation into Megan Sharpton.
First responders in rural Winchester, Tennessee, are shocked to discover young Megan Sharp’s body at the heart of the blaze after receiving a report of a brush fire.
How did Megan Sharpton die?
Megan Sharpton, a 24-year-old from Tullahoma, Tennessee, was tragically killed just as she was about to finish her college education.
On the evening before her body was found, she chose to attend an unplanned job interview and postponed plans to eat with her family.
Megan’s sporadic boyfriend Chris worked at a nearby department shop.
According to reports, a vehicle in rural Tullahoma observed a sizable fire on the side of the road around 1:30 in the early hours of July 2, 2012. The motorist promptly called the nearby fire department, and they arrived at the site.
Emergency personnel discovered the burned body of a woman, later identified as 24-year-old Megan Sharpton, after putting out the fire. As Megan was suddenly fully n*ked below the waist, the scene was like something from a movie.
Investigators claim that Megan Sharpton was found with her private parts appearing to have been deliberately lit on fire while still wearing her nursing school outfit.
She had many shattered bones in her skull during the initial examination, which showed that she had had head trauma from a blunt object.
In the wake of Megan Sharpton’s murder, an autopsy revealed that the victim had been sexually abused and had passed away from a deadly gunshot wound to the face.
Megan Sharpton Murder case: How GPS data led investigators to the Killer?
The original inquiry into the death of Megan Sharpton produced a number of fruitless leads, including the one from her boyfriend Chris who had a reliable tip.
Chris told the police that Megan had gotten a call from Naomi Jones, an old classmate, proposing a job offer as a nurse.
About 15 to 20 miles from the scene of the crime where Megan’s body was recovered, the police eventually located Megan’s abandoned automobile.
Since Naomi Jones disclosed that she and Megan Sharpton were only acquaintances and former classmates, the prospective lead involving Megan Sharpton was abandoned.
Jones said he never spoke with Sharpton about employment opportunities.
Despite this, detectives persevered in their investigation of Megan Sharpton’s murder and traced the burner phone’s path, which brought them to the shop where Timothy Gifford, a heroin dealer, bought it.
Donnie Jones Jr., the husband of Naomi Jones, who denied any involvement in the crime, was the recipient of the burner phone, which Timothy Gifford acknowledged buying for him.
Donnie first denied any participation in the murder, but after authorities discovered his DNA on Megan Sharpton’s body, he admitted to having had sex with her consentingly.
Donnie Jones Jr. was located at the crime scene thanks to GPS tracking used by the authorities.
Detectives thought he enticed Megan to the location, raped and killed her, then burned her body.
Investigators gathered crucial information by examining the GPS data from the phones.
Up until their communication broke out at the spot where the victim’s automobile was eventually found, Donnie’s cell phone and the burner phone used to reach Megan were travelling side by side.
Further investigation showed that the scene where investigators suspected Megan was raped and killed was also the location of Donnie’s phone, Megan’s phone, and the burner phone.
Where is the killer in the Megan Sharpton murder case now?
The location of Megan’s burning body was eventually found thanks to GPS data, which was also related to the movement of the phones.
Sheriff Fuller said that the region where Megan’s car was discovered was home to multiple farms owned by Donnie’s family, and it was thought it was where she was killed.
After searching the area, police came across a burn barrel where they recovered the burned remains of a purple scarf with stars printed on it. Carrie, Megan’s sister, later acknowledged that the scarf had been a gift.
Donnie Jones is only a cold-blooded killer, according to Detective Dyer.
The state accused Donnie Jones of first-degree murder, rape, and two counts of aggravated kidnapping on November 5, 2012. He was given a life sentence without the possibility of release on February 4, 2013.
The last few minutes of Megan’s life were marked by extreme dread, panic, and pain, according to Detective Dyer.
Donnie Jones Jr. was aggressively attempting to lure other prospective targets prior to targeting Megan Sharpton, it was determined during the investigation into the death of Megan Sharpton.
Megan’s sister, Carrie, claimed that Donnie Jones would have kept acting deceptively with young ladies if Megan had not lost her life, and Megan’s deeds resulted in his life incarceration.
She also felt that Megan paid the ultimate price to protect everyone in the neighbourhood.
In connection with the killing of Megan Sharpton, Donnie Jones Jr. was detained and charged with first-degree assassination, two charges of aggravated rape, and aggravated kidnapping.
He was found guilty of the murder charge following a trial and given a life sentence without the possibility of release.
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