BEAUMONT, Texas — The prosecutor in a Beaumont murder suspect’s trial claims Christopher Jones shot and killed his wife on Valentine’s Day 2019 before deleting crucial video from security cameras at the home according to statements made Tuesday in court.
Police say Jones murdered his 38-year-old wife, Olivia, by shooting her in the back of the head. Opening statements were made Tuesday afternoon in Jones' trial.
Prosecutor Jimmy Hamm told the jury Jones’ defense will portray Olivia Jones as someone who may or may not have been stable at the time of her death. Hamm said the defense will claim she was suicidal on the day she died.
Christopher Jones’ defense attorney, Ryan Gertz, said the couple had a heated argument that resulted in Olivia taking a gun and holding it to her head. Gertz claims Christopher tried taking the gun from Olivia when it went off.
Olivia’s younger brother Joshua Simmons spoke to 12News at an event held to honor Olivia’s life in 2020 one year after her death. Simmons told 12News the family was still “waiting on justice” after a frustrating year.
Prosecutors said the jury will hear testimony about Olivia’s day, including information about a grocery store trip and her daily routine. Prosecutor Jimmy Hamm said the jury will have to decide if it sounds like she was thinking about suicide.
Christopher immediately called 911, indicating he did not shoot his wife, according to claims made by Gertz on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, testimony started around 11:30 a.m. One of the police detectives who worked on the case was first to take the stand.
He said investigators found out Jones had deleted some surveillance camera videos from his phone before it was handed to police for review. The motion-activated camera at the home sent video straight to an app on Jones’ phone according to the detective’s statements. He claimed Jones described some events police realized were not shown in the videos. The detective said Jones admitted to deleting some of the videos because they showed him arguing with his wife and thought it might make him look bad.
Olivia's brother previously described her as "driven" and said she loved to love her daughters.
"She was all about her daughters," Simmons said.
He indicated the marriage was troubled before Olivia's death.
"To be honest, I had let my sister know several times she needed to leave Chris," Simmons said.
