Life in prison for man convicted of 1994 Renton cold case

A man convicted of a double murder 31 years after the death of a mother and child in Renton was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On Jan. 16, Jerome Frank Jones, 55, was sentenced for two counts of first-degree aggravated murder after a jury convicted him. This conviction stems from an Oct. 28, 1994, incident where Stacy Falcon-Dewey, along with her toddler son, Jacob, were found fatally shot at 3:30 a.m. at South 55th Street in Renton, next to Falcon-Dewey’s vehicle.

According to prosecutors, Jones sexually assaulted Falcon-Dewey and fatally shot her and Jacob. Jones was linked to the case because a Washington State Patrol lab found that semen from the crime scene belonged to Jones.

At the sentencing, prosecutor Mary Barbosa said the state does not file aggravated murder charges lightly, citing that there are only three other cases currently pending in King County with that charge. State law says those convicted of first-degree aggravated murder must serve a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.

“For that cruelty and that utter disregard for human life, Mr. Jones has earned every minute of that life sentence that he will receive today,” Barbosa said.

A victim advocate read a statement to the court, telling the judge it came from one of Falcon-Dewey’s closest friends.

Falcon-Dewey had an infectious happiness about her that undeniably lifted the spirits of everyone she came in contact with. Friends and family of Falcon-Dewey were left with nightmares and thoughts of the immense fear and torture they faced that night, the statement read.

Jones’ attorney Miranda Maurmann stated that Jones maintains his innocence, citing that there were no witnesses who placed Jones at the crime scene, there were no pieces of forensic evidence that linked Jones specifically to the crime scene, and there was no motive that linked Jones to the crime scene. Maurmann stated that his counsel is ready to appeal his sentence, and they are optimistic about receiving a much better and different outcome. Jones also addressed the court, stating that he was innocent and had nothing to do with the deaths of Falcon-Dewey and Jacob.

Presiding King County Superior Court Judge Taki Flevaris stated that the case was gut-wrenching and extremely difficult to process. The judge said the double murder of Falcon-Dewey and Jacob is a horrible tragedy of violence and loss of two people who had much more life to live.

“Mr. Jones, the court can only say that it hopes that all these years later, that you are not the same person sitting here today and that there is some path to redemption for you, if possible, not withstanding the circumstances that you’re facing,” Flevaris said.

Renton Police Department Chief Jon Schuldt told the Reporter that after 31 years, justice was served for Falcon-Dewey and Jacob.

“The suspect’s life sentence doesn’t erase the pain of their loss, but we hope it brings the family some measure of peace,” Schuldt said. “I am proud of the men and women of the Renton Police Department who never gave up on this case.”

One of the men who never gave up on the case was Renton officer Robert Onishi, who was at the initial scene where Falcon-Dewey and Jacob were found deceased, and who attended Jones’ sentencing. Onishi spoke to the press at the Maleng Regional Justice Center following Jones’ sentence.

“It was important to me because this was, again, a horrific crime that touched me very, very closely,” Onishi said. “And there’s a certain degree of clinical detachment that we try to keep just for our own sanity, but this is not one of those cases.”

Onishi said that when this crime occurred, he was 35 years old and was one of the first officers to respond to the scene. Onishi said at that time, one of his children had just turned four, only making him a few months older than Jacob. He said that connection is what made the crime so impactful, citing his mourning when he left the scene that day to head home.

“Sat down in my car, fired it up and just started bawling, and for ten minutes, I was crying there,” Onishi said.

Details of the case

According to charging documents, on Oct. 28, 1994, a Seattle Times newspaper deliverer dialed 911 at around 3:30 a.m. and reported the discovery of a dead woman on South 55th Street in Renton. Renton officers responded to the scene and found Falcon-Dewey and Jacob with gunshot wounds, lying dead in the middle of the roadway next to her 1984 Buick Century.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Stacy suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the back of her head, two additional gunshot wounds to her left arm and left shoulder, blunt force lacerations to her head, and bruising and linear abrasions to her neck. Jacob suffered two gunshot wounds to his head, one at close range. Prosecutors reported that Jones allegedly bound Falcon-Dewey, beat her, sexually assaulted her and likely shot her child to death in front of her prior to killing her.

According to documents, for several years, the Renton detectives’ investigation efforts led nowhere, with no arrests or conclusive suspects identified. In 2001, advancements in DNA testing led to the submission of evidence from the scene to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for testing. In 2002, the lab detected semen on the swabs taken from Falcon-Dewey’s body, and the DNA was matched to Jones.

Documents state that Renton detectives flew to California to interview Jones at the Salinas Valley State Prison after the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab discovered the matching male DNA profile in 2002. Jones admitted to detectives he lived in the Kent-Auburn area from 1994 to 1995, though he said he never knew Falcon-Dewey when questioned and shown a picture of her.

Detectives confirmed with an apartment manager that a person named Jerome Jones lived in an apartment complex where Falcon-Dewey left her son with a friend the evening prior to the discovery of her and her son deceased. The Washington State Patrol Crime Lab continued to test evidence items as advancements in DNA identification continued.

In December 2021, investigators learned the crime lab detected semen on the sleeve of Jacob’s jacket at the time of his murder. Documents state that based on the male DNA profile developed from the sperm, the likelihood of the DNA profile originating from Jones instead of an unrelated individual selected at random from the U.S. population is 3.6 nonillion (with thirty zeroes).