CRIME

Jones found guilty of manslaughter in three deaths

Xerxes Wilson
The News Journal

Prosecutors were unable to convince a jury that Travis Jones intentionally set the 2010 fire that killed his girlfriend and two children in their Delaware City home.

After more than three days of deliberations, the jury on Monday found Jones, 29, guilty of three counts of reckless manslaughter. Each count carries a sentence of between two and 25 years in prison.

He had been charged with one count of arson and three counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors had said they intended to seek the death penalty if he was found guilty of murder.

"This was a difficult case and we are satisfied with the verdict," Deputy Attorney General Josette Manning said after the verdict.

Teyonna Watts, 19; Breyonna, 3; and 7-month-old Jordan were asleep on the second floor of the family's Clinton Street home when the fire started at 5:45 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2010, shortly after Jones had left the house. The three died of smoke inhalation.

Jones appeared at vigils grieving his lost family.

"You don't know how much this means to me," Jones told more than 100 people gathered in Delaware City at one memorial. "I love you so much. Every one of you have made my days a little bit easier."

Jones was arrested and charged in 2013. In closing arguments, Deputy Attorney General John Downs said Jones was upset over his girlfriend's affair and that she was poised to break up the family.

"He snapped. He started a fire. That recklessness caused their death," he said.

Robert Simpers, of Glasgow, the father of Jones, outside the courtroom said his son "is not the monster they have made him out to be."

He said Jones beat a heroin addiction and the Clinton Street home was the first time Jones and Watts had a place of their own. He recalled Jones showing a remodeled bathroom and other improvements.

"It was the first time his baby had their own room. He was so proud," Simpers said. "He loved that baby and he loved Teyonna with all of his heart. I saw it with my own eyes."

The defense also disputed how the fire was ignited. A prosecution expert told the jury the blaze appeared to be intentionally set, though it is not clear exactly how the fire began.

Jones told police he lit a cigarette using the stove that morning, putting him where an expert said the fire started. But the expert called by the defense cast doubt on the ability to accurately show where the blaze began.

Jones attorney Eugene Maurer argued that, without knowing how the fire was sparked, the jury couldn't be certain Jones intentionally started it.

"The jury said he didn't intentionally start the fire," Maurer said afterward. "We are satisfied by the verdict."

Jones will appear before Judge Diane Clarke Streett in September for sentencing.

The judge will determine the sentence with input from prosecutors as well as the families of both the convicted and victims. The state has not decided what sentence it will recommend, Manning said.

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.