A year later: Canton teen, victim's son sued over 2023 slaying near Toledo

TOLEDO ‒ Almost exactly a year after a Sylvania Township woman was murdered, a wrongful death lawsuit has been filed.

The civil suit, filed April 18, 2024, in Lucas County Common Pleas Court, named Jonathon R. Jones and Kaitlyn Coones defendants. They are accused of killing 53-year-old Nicole Jones on April 19, 2023, in her home just outside Toledo.

Robert J. Jones, administrator for the woman's estate, filed the legal action. He is represented by attorney Steve L. Crossmock.

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Coones, now 18, was a 17-year-old runaway teen living in foster care in Stark County when she and Jones, now 34, were arrested May 6 in Mexico after an international manhunt. The pair were involved in some type of relationship. Jonathon R. Jones is Nicole Jones' son.

Authorities have said Coones killed Nicole Jones after Jonathan Jones wouldn't. She allegedly strangled and bludgeoned the woman.

Both face charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

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The claim alleges the two suspects killed by design

The suit alleges that neither Jones nor Coones was provoked or "acting in self-defense" when they allegedly killed Nicole Jones. Rather, the court document said, they acted "with prior calculation and design, (to) cause the death of another."

Jonathon Jones is already in prison for a 2023 conviction for vandalism, child endangering, attempted pandering obscenity involving minors and failure to appear for court. He is serving 4.5 years, currently in Belmont Correctional Institution, according to Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.

Girl's attorney seeks mental health evaluation

His conviction, stemming from a 2022 case in Wood County, is connected to the homicide case.

Jones skipped his court date in May 2023 to run from authorities with Coones, which prompted the manhunt.

Her attorney also alleges in a new court document filed April 15 that, "(Jones) while he was out on bond awaiting sentencing and under a no contact order that he lured (Coones) back to the Sylvania Township area," where the homicide occurred.

In the same court document, Coones' attorney, Jeffrey Crowther, sought and was granted a mental health evaluation of his client. Crowther said he believes she might be suffering "trauma bonding," which occurs when a person has a psychological response to abuse.

The court document stated Coones on March 28 "voiced fantasy ideology as to what she and her co-defendant's future would be. Given that they are both facing life in prison, those thoughts seem disconnected from reality."

Coones remains in custody.

The homicide case remains unresolved in court.

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Nicole Jones was killed April 19, 2023. A year later, her estate sues suspects