A Barberton teen sentenced to juvenile detention until he was 21 for the murder and rape of his 3-year-old half sister was warned that he could face a life sentence in adult prison unless he completed the required programs and stayed out of trouble.
D’Marques “DJ” Jones, now 20, failed to complete a required sex offender course during his 3½-year incarceration in a juvenile facility.
So, Summit County Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio made good on her warning and recently sentenced Jones to life in prison. Jones will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
“Our job is to protect the community and keep the citizens of Summit County safe,” Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said in a news release Tuesday. Her office originally pushed for Jones to be tried as an adult.
“Allowing him to go into the community untreated and unsupervised after such a heinous crime was not an option,” Walsh said.
Jones was convicted by a Summit County Juvenile Court jury in December 2012 of raping and murdering Makayla Jones. He was 15 at the time of his sister’s death.
In June 2011, Makayla was pronounced dead three days after emergency surgery at Akron Children’s Hospital. The cause of death was severe inflammation and infection of her abdomen from a ruptured colon. A DNA scientist from the state crime lab testified that tests of cuttings from Makayla’s underwear contained genetic profiles consistent with Makayla and D’Marques.
D’Marques Jones denied having any involvement in Makayla’s death.
Because of changes to the law, Jones’ trial was the first jury trial in Summit County Juvenile Court history.
Teodosio told Jones when he was sentenced to the Ohio Department of Youth Services Facility in January 2013 that his record must remain spotless.
“You are going to have to stay out of trouble there,” she said.
With Jones’ release date from juvenile detention looming, Walsh’s office requested that Teodosio impose the life sentence. The judge took this step Nov. 23.
The average juvenile sex offender sent to a youth detention facility is able to complete sex offender treatment in seven to nine months. Jones was in a facility for more than three years and only successfully completed half of the program, according to the prosecutor’s office.