Bio

Daniel Steven Jones was born on May 27, 1961, in the United States. Before the Nevada murder case, Jones had a violent criminal history. The Nevada Supreme Court noted that he had previously been convicted of aggravated assault after attempting to kill his grandmother by striking her over the head with a crowbar. At the time of the Nevada murder, he was in violation of parole.

Jones was also suspected in two killings in Florida. During the Nevada penalty proceedings, the State presented testimony alleging that Jones had murdered two people in their home in Jacksonville, Florida, while their teenage daughter was inside. He was not charged with those Florida murders in the Nevada case, but the evidence was admitted during sentencing.

Murder Story

In 1989, Daniel Steven Jones killed Donald Woody in Nevada. Court records state that Jones shot Woody in order to obtain possession of Woody’s motor home. On October 13, 1989, Jones was charged with murder with use of a deadly weapon and robbery with use of a deadly weapon.

On September 24, 1990, the date set for trial, Jones waived his right to a jury trial and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon. A three-judge sentencing panel was then appointed to determine his punishment.

During the penalty phase, prosecutors presented evidence that Jones had killed Woody to obtain his motor home. The State also introduced evidence of Jones’s prior aggravated assault conviction and his parole violation. In addition, prosecutors presented testimony about two alleged Florida murders, although Jones had not been charged in those killings.

The sentencing panel found three aggravating circumstances. First, Jones had previously been convicted of a felony involving violence. Second, he was under a sentence of imprisonment when the murder occurred. Third, the murder was committed during the course of a robbery. The panel found one mitigating circumstance, stating that Jones appeared somewhat remorseful. After weighing the evidence, the panel sentenced Jones to death.

Jones appealed his sentence to the Nevada Supreme Court. He challenged the prosecutor’s closing argument, the admission of evidence relating to torture and mutilation, the admission of testimony about the alleged Florida murders, the aggravating circumstances, and the trial court’s failure to order a competency examination. On September 30, 1991, the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed the death sentence.

Jones later pursued federal habeas corpus proceedings. In 1997, the Ninth Circuit reviewed a discovery dispute in his death-row habeas case after Nevada authorities sought to stop discovery ordered by the federal district court. The Ninth Circuit denied the State’s emergency stay request and dismissed the petition for mandamus, allowing discovery to proceed.

Jones was not executed. Later listings identify him as deceased, with his death reported in July 2008 at Nevada State Prison in Carson City, Nevada, from natural causes.