Leisa Jones

Overview

Leisa Jones died in a fire that she set intentionally in a second-floor apartment on Nicholas Avenue in Port Richmond. Three of her children were found with their throats slit, and the youngest child, Jermaine Sinclair, was rescued from the fire but later died of smoke inhalation. Leisa Jones’ death was determined to be suicide.

Timeline

• July 22 — A second-floor apartment emergency responders pulled the bodies of Leisa Jones and three children whose throats had been slit; Jermaine Sinclair was rescued from the fire but died later from smoke inhalation.
• July 22 (early morning) — Police initially theorized that C.J. Raymond had killed his siblings and set the fire before slitting his own throat.
• July 29 — The city medical examiner determined Leisa Jones died of smoke inhalation and the cause of death was suicide, while the deaths of her children were ruled homicides.
• July 30 — The examination results were described as eliminating the scenario police laid out in the early hours of the investigation.

Background

Leisa Jones was the mother of four children. She had been attending beauty school in St. George and had last worked in January at Macy’s in the Staten Island Mall as a holiday-season security guard. She had been indebted to her landlord in Port Richmond and was evicted for non-payment in 2008 from her home in Washington, D.C., where she was homeless for a brief period that was described as unbeknownst to her blood relatives. She moved to Port Richmond less than two years before the July 22 fire, after being evicted from her apartment in Washington, D.C., and was described as homeless for an undetermined time.

The offence

Investigators and fire department officials determined that the Port Richmond blaze was intentionally set. Autopsy results found:

• Leisa Jones died of smoke inhalation, and the cause of death was suicide.
• Three children—C.J. Raymond, Brittney Jones, and Melonie Jones—died from deep slash wounds to their throats, and smoke inhalation was not listed as a factor for the three older children.
• Jermaine Sinclair, the 2-year-old, died of smoke inhalation and burns after being badly burned and rescued from the apartment.

A charred note was found near Leisa Jones’ body with the words “am sorry” still legible on a later description of the evidence. The handwriting on the note was described as matching that in a diary Leisa Jones kept, though the diary was described as too damaged to provide any information. The note was described as being fused to a butane lighter in the same room as the bodies of Jones and three of her four children in at least one account. A forensic handwriting comparison was described as linking the note to Leisa Jones’ handwriting.

Both Leisa Jones and C.J. were described as having undigested pills in their stomachs in multiple accounts. Toxicology results were described as pending in at least one account, while another account described the undigested pills as having been found in their stomachs. One account stated that the undigested pills did not cause the deaths.

Investigation

Police initially ruled out the possibility that an intruder committed the crimes. Police originally theorized that C.J. had killed his siblings and set the fire before slitting his own throat. A razor was described as being found lodged beneath C.J.’s body, and C.J.’s body was described as crumpled in a rear bedroom. Investigators later turned toward Leisa Jones as a suspect after finding what was described as a charred note with “am sorry” still legible and after handwriting comparisons.

A statement attributed to NYPD chief spokesman Paul J. Browne indicated that the investigative premise was murder/suicide and that it was undetermined whether the oldest son or mother was responsible pending the medical examiner’s findings:

“The investigative premise from the outset was murder/suicide, and [it was] undetermined whether the oldest son or mother was responsible pending the medical examiner’s findings,” Browne said in a written statement.

Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s office, was quoted describing the medical examiner’s determination:

• The city medical examiner determined Leisa Jones died of smoke inhalation and the cause of death was suicide.

Investigators described that they had some preliminary findings early on and were waiting for final determinations.

Multiple accounts described that fire officials and police had changed their theories as medical findings became available, including that evidence indicated Leisa Jones was alive when the blaze was set.

People

Leisa Jones (mother)

Leisa Jones was 30 or 32 in different accounts. She was described as living on Nicholas Avenue in Port Richmond and being a security guard at Macy’s. Her death was determined to be suicide due to smoke inhalation.

C.J. Raymond (also known as C. J. / Romoy Raymond)

C.J. Raymond was described as 14 and was enrolled at Laurie Intermediate School / Intermediate School 72 in at least one account. Initial police theories described him as responsible for killings and setting the fire, but later medical examiner findings were described as ruling his death a homicide. He was described as having a straight razor under his body in at least one account.

Brittney Jones

Brittney Jones was described as 10. Her throat was slit and she died before the fire was set in one description.

Melonie Jones

Melonie Jones was described as 7.

Jermaine Sinclair Jr. / Jermaine Sinclair

Jermaine Sinclair Jr. was described as 2. He was rescued from the fire but died later from smoke inhalation, and was described as dying of smoke inhalation and burns. He was found near the front door in one account.

Earlston Raymond (C.J.’s father)

Earlston Raymond lived in Jamaica and was described as saying he believed Leisa Jones was responsible. Quotes attributed to him included:

“At times, I feel like killing the kids and burning the house down and killing myself.”

“[Jones] made that statement to more than one person,” said the distraught dad, who lives in Jamaica and added that he learned of his ex's threats only after the tragedy.

He also said:

“I'm sorry I signed the paper to send C.J. back to Washington,” Raymond said, adding that he never believed his son committed the gruesome crime.

And he said:

“If anybody could've done it, it would've been the mother because of her temper,” Earlston Raymond said at his home in Jamaica.

He said:

“[Jones] had pulled a knife on a relative,” Raymond said.

He also said:

“I talked to him the Tuesday before he died, he was a happy kid,” Raymond said.

Sharon Scott (Leisa Jones’ sister)

Sharon Scott said the family had lost faith in the NYPD’s investigation and asked that the FBI take it over. In one account, she was described as sending an e-mail.

Dr. Donna Cohen

Dr. Donna Cohen was described as a professor at the University of South Florida and a leading expert on murder-suicides. She was quoted giving explanations of murder-suicide dynamics, including:

“The person with a mental illness has an intense attachment to the victims and in most cases feels threatened that their relationship is about to change. The motivation is that nobody else can take care of them: 'I'm responsible, and I would rather we'd be dead than not be able to control things,'” she said, surmising, based on the thousands of cases she has studied: “I'd say this mother was feeling unable to provide for them. ... I think she saw herself as a good mother who would rather see her kids' death than to see their world fall apart and not be able to take care of them. That's love, for her.”

Later in the same account, Cohen was quoted as saying:

“The murder-suicide is intentional and well planned, often weeks, months, and sometimes years before it occurs. There is usually a trigger, a straw that breaks the camel's back, but most likely she was vacillating between die/live, die/live. To us this is really horrific. In her mind, this was totally rational.”

And:

“People who commit familicides aren't malicious criminals,” said Dr. Cohen, “they are people who see this as a way out. Leisa probably really, really loved those kids.”

Other named individuals (as described)

• Annette Daley (Leisa Jones’ cousin) was quoted:

• Don Daley (a cousin of Leisa Jones) was quoted:

• Paul J. Browne (NYPD chief spokesman) was quoted (see above).
• Ellen Borakove was quoted describing the medical examiner’s determination (see Investigation).
• Shaquawna Meaders was quoted as saying:

• Chandra Franklin was quoted:

• Marcia Anderson was quoted:

“My family, my family!” wailed Marcia Anderson, Leisha Jones' mother.
And: “She was such a nice person and she was a really good mother,” said a weeping Anderson.
And:

“You'd think only a monster could do this, not a little boy,” said Chandra Franklin, 29, a family friend.
And she said: “He was the man of the house,” she said.
And: “I don't know why he did this, he must have been going through something no one could see.”
She also said: “She loved her kids ... and I loved her.”

“a great mom.”
And: “She's not capable of something like this,” said Meaders, 25.

“We just pray for their souls and thank the Lord that we had an opportunity to share their lives,” said Don Daley, a cousin of Ms. Jones’s. “Now that they’re gone, we hope that they go in dignity and in peace. And no more confusion."

“independent.”

Sentencing

No sentencing information was provided because the outcome was described as suicide.

Appeals

No appeals information was provided.

Outcome

The deaths of Leisa Jones’ children were ruled homicides, with the three older children’s throats slit, and Jermaine dying later from smoke inhalation. Leisa Jones’ death was ruled suicide due to smoke inhalation, with medical examiner findings described as eliminating earlier police theories that an intruder was responsible or that C.J. was necessarily responsible for all deaths.

Other details

A school official described concerns at Laurie Intermediate School / Intermediate School 72 and said social workers observed Leisa Jones being “verbally or emotionally abusive” toward C.J. Another account described C.J. as being suspended in the spring for being aggressive toward other students, and having a history of lighting fires outside his home and at Faber Pool. He was also described as being referred in June to a special education day-treatment program. One account described that authorities decided he should be transferred into a special district for severely disabled students.

A cousin’s account described that C.J. was born with a heart problem, frequently fell ill, and that surgery was arranged in Washington, D.C.

A relative at the home of Leisa Jones’s mother in Washington declined to comment on the specifics of the autopsy results.

A landlord lawsuit was described as occurring in February, with the landlord suing Leisa Jones for almost $7,000 in back rent. A landlord’s name was included in one account as Albert Morcos, described as on vacation in Egypt at the time, and residents described that the apartment did not have a smoke detector.