Olivia Jones was slain inside her Beaumont, Texas, home on Valentine’s Day 2019, according to the Investigation Discovery documentary “Married to Evil: Control Freak to Killer.” Police detectives were able to identify the criminal the same day and quickly apprehend him. Apparently, with the cooperation of the victim’s family and surveillance footage discovered inside Olivia’s home, the detectives were able to catch the murderer. Here is all we know about the killer’s name and current whereabouts in case you’re curious.
How Did Olivia Jones Die?
James O. Barlow and the late Anita Barlow welcomed Olivia Dawn Simmons into the world on July 19, 1980 in Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas. She was the oldest of the family’s five children, and her younger brother, Joshua Simmons, called her a “beautiful person.” After earning her degree from Everest University-South Orlando in Tampa, Florida, Olivia started working in the tax industry. She had a career at the Matrix Tax Service and had developed a very successful persona.
Brittney Simmons, Olivia’s younger sister, noted how Olivia was constantly interested in topics related to business. She married her high school love, Al, in 1999, and they had two kids, including Ariel Turk, according to family sources. Following the birth of their second child, Olivia’s marriage broke down. The divorce with Al was really traumatic and disheartening for Olivia, Brittney recalled. Her future relationships suffered as a result of her increased insecurity. To meet new individuals, she persisted in pursuing her older sister.
Olivia met and started dating Christopher Ray Jones in the spring of 2009 because to Brittney’s perseverance. The fact that Olivia had finally moved on was welcomed by Olivia’s family. He was a guard for the Texas Correctional system. The 38-year-old’s shooting in the back of the head inside of her Beaumont, Texas, home on Valentine’s Day 2019 was stunning as a result. After Christopher dialled 911, the police showed up at the crime scene right away to take the offender into custody.
Who Killed Olivia Jones?
The first responders found Christopher frantic and rushing them into the bedroom, where Olivia was lying on her stomach, when they got on the scene, according to the lead detective. The cops discovered an exit wound through her right eye when turning the body over while she was only partially dressed. There was a lot of blood inside the room, as well as blood splatter on the walls. Before interviewing Christopher, who appeared to be in panic, the police chose to gather footage from the numerous security cameras they had spotted within the room in search of evidence.
Christopher asserted that he and his deceased spouse were fighting and that he wanted to get a divorce. Olivia allegedly said she would be dead if she didn’t have him, according to her husband, before grabbing a loaded revolver off their bedside table. Christopher stated he had many loaded firearms hidden around his house because of the nature of his work. When the police examined the recording and other evidence, they discovered nothing that suggested she was suicidal on that particular day.
In an interview with the police, the jail guard reported that Christopher “worked hard and always wanted everyone to reciprocate in the same manner.” He felt Olivia “was not trying her best” and was disobeying the household regulations he established. He informed the detectives that he desired a divorce due to these factors, but Olivia was reportedly offended to learn of this. Christopher asserted that his late wife broke into the home, went right to the bedroom, and confronted her with a loaded gun.
In the interview, Christopher said he attempted to stop her and take the gun away from her. However, it’s claimed that Olivia yanked just as the gun was about to fire, killing her by shooting her in the eye. Christopher voluntarily provided the officers with access to the video footage from the numerous cameras that were put throughout the home. The majority of the videos, which could have supported his account of the events, were discovered to have been erased by the police.
Christopher originally put the fault with the monitoring equipment on when the cops asked him if he had erased the tapes. Finally, he gave up and admitted to the police that he had allegedly panicked and erased part of the films. His defence attorney later referred to this as a “monumentally stupid” error, but countered that people do not always make wise decisions in stressful situations. However, Christopher had admitted to the police during his questioning that he had deleted the tapes out of fear of coming off as “bad.”
In order to learn that Christopher had reportedly been aggressive and in charge of Olivia’s family for his whole life, the police also questioned Olivia’s siblings and Ariel. When things did not go his way, he allegedly physically beat Olivia, cut her off from her family, and threatened her again. Ariel repeatedly insisted to the jury during the March 2022 trial that her mother was not suicidal, despite the prosecution characterising the victim as a “Godly person” and portraying her as a devoted wife.
Christopher was charged with the first killing in Beaumont that year in April of that same year. He entered a not guilty plea in response to the murder and manslaughter allegations. The defence restated their client’s account of the incident as being the consequence of a struggle as Christopher tried to stop Olivia from killing herself. They asserted that Christopher believed his actions were essential to prevent his wife from hurting herself, a threat she was supposed to have made in the past.
Where is Christopher Ray Jones Now?
The prosecution, on the other hand, described Christopher Jones as a “liar” who enjoyed being in charge and who put on “an act” to appear innocent. They also brought up the inconsistencies in his tale, including an earlier account of the struggle with the pistol, and reminded the jury of them. According to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, “The State refuted all these false claims by showing the inconsistent stories Jones gave from 911 calls, body cameras, home security videos, and his statement to support the conviction of murder.”
In order to refute the allegations, the defence played the jury Christopher’s 911 call, during which he begged the operator to provide help for his wife. They made an effort to portray him as a man who acted improperly out of fright and shock. You have to put yourself in that situation and make a split-second decision, the defence attorney argued. She had performed it previously and in his presence. The prosecutor insisted Christopher never wavered in his assertion that his wife was trying to kill herself.
However, they claimed that in his retellings, details such as whether he or his wife was holding the gun when it went off altered. They contended that Christopher’s contradictions demonstrated his guilt when his defence broke down. Christopher was convicted of murder in the death of his late wife by a unanimous vote of the jury. He was facing a first-degree felony murder sentence of 5 to 99 years in prison or life. He agreed to give up his right to appeal in exchange for a deal that saw him given a 30-year term. The 44-year-old is being held in Huntsville, Texas’ John M. Wynne Unit and has until 2037 before he can apply for parole.
