A 24-year-old northern Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for beating his girlfriend in their Red Lake Indian Reservation home and leaving her unconscious for two days without calling for help.
Northern Minnesota man admits to murder for beating girlfriend, leaving her unconscious for 2 days
Williams Jones IV said he didn't know whom to call, according to prosecutors. Medic replied, "What's wrong with 911?"
October 22, 2021 at 5:37PM
William Jones IV, 24, agreed this week in U.S. District Court in St. Paul to plead guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Brittany L. Roy, 27, in exchange for a 12-year prison sentence, a term at the bottom of the federal guidelines range of 12 to 17 ½ years.
Jones' mother contacted emergency personnel after arriving at the house and finding Roy.
When medical personnel arrived, Jones told them that he didn't know who to call about the unconscious Roy, according to the criminal complaint. Roy was taken to a hospital in Fargo. She died there on Nov. 22.
According to court documents: On Nov. 6, 2019, Jones repeatedly hit Roy on the shoulders, arms and torso, then threw her against a wall before she fell and struck her head on the floor.
Roy remained in the house unconscious but alive for nearly two days. Jones neither contacted emergency personnel nor tried to render aid.
"This defendant not only perpetrated an extremely violent assault on his victim, he showed complete disregard for human life when he failed to seek medical aid," Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk said in a statement.
A date for Jones' sentencing has yet to be scheduled.
Paul Walsh
The special election Nov. 5 will determine whether the GOP flips control of the state Senate or the DFL stays in charge.
