Laverne Jones was having trouble reaching her father on Feb. 16, 2009. When she arrived at his home though on the 6300 block of Seat Pleasant Drive to check on him, she found 68-year-old Willie Jones stabbed in his upper body. Prince George’s County police officers responded to her call and the elder Jones was pronounced dead on the scene. “Imagine walking in on this. The visual continues to tear me apart,” his daughter wrote on the Prince George’s County Crime Solvers Facebook page. Jones recently wrote this past July, still hoping for tips on the case. “I haven’t heard anything. No calls. I continue to need your assistance on this case. I’m not giving up. I have hope. Please call me. I’m so exhausted.”
Prince George’s County police Cpl. Erica Johnson told the Washington Post in 2009 that there were no signs of forced entry into Willie Jones’ home and that police were still trying to figure out a motive for the murder.
Almost three years later, members of the community are still in disbelief as to why someone would kill Jones, who was described as a friendly man by his Seat Pleasant neighbors.
“The community loved him and really respected him,” said Todd Vaughn, who lives on Seat Pleasant Drive. “They really loved that guy, it’s the worst guy that this could happen to.”
– Leigh Giangreco
