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Second chance ends in death
By LEANORA MINAI
© St. Petersburg Times, ST. PETERSBURG -- Joshua Jones was 16 when he robbed a grocery store and killed the owner's dog. Facing life in prison, he begged a judge for a second chance. After 17 months in a juvenile center, Jones came home with a high school diploma and an acceptance letter to Hillsborough Community College. "Success ain't nothing but a heartbeat away," Jones told Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Brandt Downey. "I will succeed in life because failure is not an option." But on Saturday, Jones, 19, found himself on a St. Petersburg street known for drug dealing. Police think he might have gotten into a fight with a man over drugs. Gunfire rang out, but no one was hurt. The next day, police said, the man returned with a gun and fired at Jones. The bullet pierced Jones' heart, killing him. "What is a person's life worth now?" asked Jones' mother, Melvina Jones, 41. "Nothing?" George Lord, a 57-year-old janitor for the city of St. Petersburg, has been charged with first-degree murder. Lord of St. Petersburg was arrested Tuesday evening after buying fish at a bait shop. He is being held without bail in the Pinellas County Jail. Lord's wife, Joyce Lord, declined to comment. Lord and Jones did not know each other before they met Saturday afternoon in the 1000 block of Melrose Avenue S, police said. But during the past four years, they both had brushes with the law. Lord was charged with passing worthless checks at a grocery store twice. Jones held up the Brotherhood Market for $500 and shot and killed the owner's dog. After the 1998 robbery, Jones told prosecutors he was in a bad place, drinking 2 quarts of beer a week and smoking pot daily. He was skipping classes at St. Petersburg High School. "I'm not trying to make a mockery out of the system," Jones said at his sentencing. "I'm just asking that the system give me a chance to prove myself." Jones pleaded guilty, and adjudication was withheld. The judge sent him to North Florida to complete a 17-month program at a juvenile corrections center. Everyone said Jones had the potential to learn and grow. At the center, Jones got rave reviews from corrections officers, who nicknamed him "Mr. Sunshine" for his smile and positive attitude. They wrote to the judge, describing him as a model student. While away, Jones wrote poetry about growing up in the inner city. "Destined for greatness, I am a person with many talents and ambitions who yearns for the proper opportunities to prove myself," Jones said in a poem titled, Who Am I? "I am the future; I am a strong black man." Vowing he would not return to his "old environment," Jones was released in August 2000. He lived with his mother in Tampa but only attended a month of computer classes at the community college. His mother said he lost patience. "If you start hanging with the wrong type of crowd, you'll end up like Joshua or in jail," Ms. Jones said. "Nothing positive is going to come out of being on the street trying to make fast money." At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Jones was in the 1000 block of Melrose Avenue S, police said. A man with a passenger pulled up in a blue Ford Explorer. After an argument and exchange of punches, the driver threatened to kill Jones and left the area. About a half-hour later, the man returned and fired multiple rounds from his vehicle. No one was hurt. The next day, Jones was in the 900 block of 14th Avenue S when the same man pulled up and fired the fatal round. "In Joshua's case, he could have truly made a better situation out of this," his mother said. "He was eligible to get jobs. He was given an opportunity. He didn't take that." Feel MeIt's two sides of the game to let you know if you never knew It's the good and bad And it's kind of sad but I grew up on number two And those who make it from whence I came are a rare and selected few. -- An excerpt from Joshua Jones' poetry about growing up in the inner city
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
