Court rejects Jones’ appeal in murder case
An appeal by a caregiver convicted of starving an mentally challenged elderly man to death has been denied by the court of appeals, leaving her to serve a 21-year murder sentence.
The defendant, Doreen Jones, 50, had hoped the court of appeals would overturn her second-degree murder conviction last year for the neglect and starvation death of Fletcher Anderson, 68, for whom she was legal caretaker.
The public defender’s office, who represented Jones during trial, protested the showing of post-mortem photographs to the jury because they felt the photos of the victim were prejudicial given their heinous nature. The appeals court did not agree.
Prosecutors, in presenting disturbing pictures of the victim during trial, told the jury Anderson weighed just 81 pounds when he was seen in the emergency room at River Park Hospital shortly before his death. They believe Jones used Anderson’s government check to buy alcohol and spend on herself while neglecting to properly care for the victim, for whom she was acting as caretaker. Evidence was also introduced that Jones often locked Anderson inside a room with no food or bathroom facilities.
The defense maintained Anderson’s dramatic weight loss was due to an undiagnosed cancer and that he was locked into a room because he had a history of wandering away from home.
In addition to disputing the use of post-mortem pictures, the defense disputed the conviction saying the doctor in the case should not have been allowed to state the victim died from malnutrition and dehydration due to neglect. The defense also said the jury was further prejudiced when they saw the defendant, on video tape, being interviewed by officers while she was dressed in a prison uniform. The defense maintained it left the inference of guilt before the jury.
The appellate court ruling means Jones, barring acceptance of the case by the Tennessee Supreme Court, will be required to serve the 21-year sentence at 100 percent.