Wednesday, April 23, 2008

TOP STORY > >Jacksonville man is taken in for killing

By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer

Jacksonville police responded to a shooting at a Sunnyside residence early Monday morning and found a shooting victim. Daud Amir Jones immediately told police he shot his girlfriend in the head. Melony Graham, 25, was pronounced dead soon after police arrived. She lived with Jones at 180 Pike Ave.

Jones, 31, was arrested at 12:57 a.m. and charged with first-degree murder. He was not given bond. Jones was a manager at Taco Bell in Cabot.

According to the police, officers who arrived at the couple’s home on Pike Avenue found Jones lying on the floor in a hallway holding Graham, who was bleeding from her head.

When an officer asked Jones who was responsible for the shooting, he reportedly said, “I did it.”

Jones told police who arrived at the scene that the gun he killed Graham with was on the top shelf in a closet.

Officers located a Cobra .38 caliber semi-automatic handgun. He was then arrested and taken to the Jacksonville Police Department. Graham was pronounced dead.

Capt. Charles Jenkins of the Jacksonville Police Department said Monday that Jones did have a prior record, but he was unable to release specific information.

Capt. Jenkins said police were not sure how long Jones lived in Jack-sonville, but he did tell officers that he lived in the city about a year.

The police have not established a motive for the killing, but police have confirmed that Jones was involved in a relationship with Graham.

Jones was arraigned Monday in Jacksonville Municipal Court. The case was filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court. No circuit court date has been set.