Barry Lee Jones

Case overview

Barry Lee Jones was charged by the State with sexual assault, three counts of child abuse, and the murder of Rachel Gray, age 4.

Rachel Gray was the victim in the case. Jones and the victim were both described as Caucasian, and the case listed Jones as the defendant.

The offence

In April 1994, Rachel’s mother and her three children were living with Jones.

On the afternoon of May 1, 1994, while Rachel was asleep, Jones took Rachel out of the house in his van. Jones was later seen hitting her with his hand and elbow.

When Rachel’s mother awoke, she discovered that Rachel’s head was cut and she was bleeding.

Jones told Rachel’s mother that Rachel cut her head when some neighbor children pushed her down. Rachel continued to bleed and throw up during the night, and Jones would not let Angela take her to the hospital.

By the time Rachel was taken to the hospital, she was dead as the result of a ruptured intestine.

Trial

The trial had the following recorded dates:

• Start of Trial: April 5, 1995
• Verdict: April 14, 1995
• Sentencing: July 6, 1995

The jurors found Jones guilty of all five counts.

Presiding Judge: James C. Carruth Prosecutor: Kathleen Mayer

Sentencing

On July 6, 1995, Jones was sentenced to death for the murder.

In addition to the sentence of death, the trial court sentenced Jones to concurrent sentences totaling 35 years for the first three counts. For the fourth count, the trial court imposed a consecutive sentence of life with no parole eligibility for 35 years.

Aggravating Circumstances:

• Especially cruel
• Victim under 15 years of age

Mitigating Circumstances:

• Defendant’s family background

Appeals

PUBLISHED OPINIONS State v, Jones, 188 Ariz. 388, 937 P.2d 310 (1997).