Bio

Ashley Lyndol Jones was born in May 1973. By 1993, he was living in Georgia and was associated with Allen Bunner, who later became his co-defendant in the crimes that led to the death of Carlton Keith Holland.

The events that led to Holland’s murder began on the night before the killing. According to the Georgia Supreme Court’s case summary, Jones and Bunner stole four cases of beer from a convenience store in Ware County, Georgia. They fled in a vehicle with three other people waiting outside the store. The group spent the night driving around and drinking the stolen beer until their vehicle broke down. Jones and Bunner then left the others, saying they were going to find a truck.

The two men then stole a Ford truck belonging to Rudolph Melton. After several more hours driving in the stolen truck, they arrived at the home of Carlton Keith Holland.

Murder Story

At approximately 5:00 a.m. on March 31, 1993, Allen Bunner knocked on the front door of Carlton Keith Holland’s home. Bunner falsely claimed that the truck’s battery was dead and asked for help. Holland’s wife, Mamie Holland, woke her husband, and he went outside to assist.

As Holland leaned over the engine compartment of the truck, Ashley Lyndol Jones struck him from behind in the head with a sledgehammer. Mamie Holland witnessed the first blow from the dining room window. She screamed for Jones to stop and banged on the window, but Jones continued the attack.

Jones inflicted at least six blows to Holland’s head and face. The Georgia Supreme Court later noted that all of the blows were potentially fatal. Before leaving in Holland’s truck, Jones got out of the vehicle and struck Holland again while he was lying on the ground. Emergency workers arrived within minutes, but Holland’s facial injuries were so severe that they could not perform CPR or intubate him. Holland died before reaching the hospital.

After the attack, Jones and Bunner fled to Florida in Holland’s truck. Along the way, they discarded Holland’s personal belongings and pawned two chain saws that belonged to Rudolph Melton. Police later traced them through phone calls they made to a friend in Georgia. Jones and Bunner were arrested at a welcome station south of the Georgia-Florida line. Holland’s truck was later found burned in a wooded area nearby.

Jones was indicted in Ware County on April 7, 1993. The State filed its notice of intent to seek the death penalty on July 22, 1993. His trial was moved to Coffee County after a change of venue.

On June 14, 1995, Jones was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, armed robbery, theft by taking a motor vehicle, and misdemeanor theft by taking. The jury recommended the death penalty after finding that the murder occurred during an armed robbery and that it was outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible, or inhuman because it involved torture, depravity of mind, or aggravated battery. The trial court sentenced Jones to death for malice murder. He also received life imprisonment for armed robbery, 20 years for theft by taking a motor vehicle, and 12 months for misdemeanor theft by taking, with the sentences ordered to run consecutively. Bunner was tried separately and received life imprisonment without parole.

Jones filed a motion for new trial on July 14, 1995, but the trial court denied it on June 20, 1996. His appeal was docketed in the Georgia Supreme Court on July 11, 1996, and argued on October 21, 1996. On March 10, 1997, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed his conviction and death sentence.

As of the Georgia Department of Corrections’ 2025 under-death-sentence roster, Ashley Lyndol Jones remained listed as an inmate under death sentence with sentence date June 1995, Coffee County conviction, and GDC number 717042.