A Las Vegas dad has been sentenced to life in prison, after he killed his own son and left his body in the desert. Thirty-nine-year-old Paul Jones pleaded guilty to the 2017 slaying of 13-year-old Aaron Jones late last year, so it’s been quite a wait to learn of the man’s prison sentence. Meanwhile, the child’s loved ones are enraged at the very system that they say allowed this tragedy to happen in the first place.
Las Vegas Review Journal reports that Jones was sentenced to life in prison with a possibility of parole after a little over 24 years. It seems like an almost lenient sentence, to be completely honest, given the absolutely horrifying story of child abuse that resulted from the investigation into this case. Paul Jones not only killed his own child, but he reportedly subjected him and other children to despicable living conditions, which also led to the arrest of his wife. Jones and his wife (Latoya Williams-Miley) lived in a single bedroom Siegel Suites rental with 10 children. In the tiny, cramped apartment is where Aaron Jones suffered horrifying, unending abuse. According to investigators, the 13-year-old child was forced to stand in a corner for days on-end, soaked in his own bodily waste. His father and stepmother would encourage the other nine children to hit him while he was “punished” and denied food as well. This poor child’s life of abuse came to a violent end in the winter of 2016-2017. Paul Jones forcefully shoved his son into a wall of the tiny Siegel Suites rental, reportedly causing him to instantly go unconscious. The Las Vegas dad and his wife failed to revive the child after multiple attempts. At some point during this episode, Jones took his son’s body and abandoned it in a desert lot in the city.
The other children in the home were also victims of abuse, and they were kept in the dark about the death of their brother. After telling the children that Aaron had “run away from home,” Jones and his wife made the children clean up the blood that was left behind by the brutal beating that left him deceased. Ultimately, the body of the missing Las Vegas boy was located after his cousins went out looking for him. An investigation quickly revealed who the responsible parties were — and given their living conditions it’s obvious as to how fast it was. The siblings of the slain boy also had a hand in taking down their abusers, as they’ve had their chances to give testimony against him — including Aaron’s sister, who was specifically made to clean up the boy’s blood.
“[Jones] Took my happiness from me” the little girl said in a court statement about the murder of her brother.
What should be asked about this case, is how did CPS not get involved with an actual case of neglect and unfit living conditions? A family of 12 people packed into a single bedroom Siegel Suites rental is beyond ridiculous, and should have been investigated long-before Paul Jones had the opportunity to kill his son. Nonetheless, justice is being served with the sentence the man was given.
Chelsea Hoffman is a true crime writer with over a decade of professional writing experience. She is best known for her coverage of missing people including the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann as well as the heartbreaking cases of Dylan Redwine, Heather Elvis and many others.
