Bio

Steven Anthony Jones was born in 1968 in the United States. According to testimony presented by the defense, Jones grew up in an abusive household where violence was a regular part of daily life. His attorneys told jurors that Jones and his siblings were subjected to repeated physical abuse by their father throughout childhood. The defense argued that these experiences contributed to emotional instability and difficulty controlling his impulses later in life.

Jones also reportedly became involved with drugs at an early age. During his sentencing hearing, he attributed much of his criminal behavior to substance abuse and life on the streets. He claimed that he had never experienced a stable family environment and said that violence was the only way of life he had known growing up.

By adulthood, Jones had already accumulated an extensive criminal record. Court records and sentencing proceedings described a history of violent offenses that predated the murders of Neil Hacker and Sharon Ann Willis. The trial judge later remarked that Jones' violent conduct had "spanned years and years," suggesting a longstanding pattern of criminal behavior rather than isolated acts.

Murder Story

Steven Anthony Jones' trail of violence began in November 2004 in the Antelope Valley region of Los Angeles County, California. One of his first victims was Neil Hacker, a 24-year-old employee at Critical Car Care in Quartz Hill. Prosecutors alleged that Jones entered the business intending to commit a robbery and, during the crime, shot Hacker in the back of the head in what authorities described as an execution-style killing. Judge Kathleen Kennedy later remarked that Hacker had been "basically executed" for the purpose of obtaining only a small amount of money. The murder devastated Hacker's family, including his fiancée, Carrie Lienhard, who later confronted Jones in court and spoke about the lasting impact of the loss.

Approximately two weeks later, Jones committed another homicide. His second victim, Sharon Ann Willis, a 42-year-old woman working as a prostitute, was attacked inside a Lancaster motel room. Jones repeatedly struck Willis with a pick hammer in what the sentencing judge later described as a particularly violent crime. Judge Kennedy stated that the evidence indicated Willis suffered greatly and did not die quickly. The brutality of the attack became one of the most significant factors considered during the penalty phase of Jones' trial.

The violence escalated even further in the days that followed. Jones attacked two men at a Lancaster residence where he had rented a room, using a hatchet to strike both victims repeatedly in the head. Although the men survived, prosecutors stated that each suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the assault. Jones then fled California and traveled to Arizona, where he targeted a laborer who had just cashed his paycheck. According to prosecutors, Jones robbed the man, stabbed him multiple times, slit his throat, and broke the blade of a knife inside the victim's chest. Despite the severity of his injuries, the victim survived and later testified against Jones during court proceedings.

Following his arrest in Arizona in 2005, Jones was returned to California to face prosecution. However, his violent behavior continued while he was in custody at the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail. On June 10, 2005, Jones and another inmate sexually assaulted a fellow prisoner. When deputies attempted to remove him from his cell after the attack, Jones battered one of the responding officers. Later that year, on December 20, 2005, he tortured and attempted to murder another inmate while incarcerated. These offenses were introduced during the penalty phase of his capital trial as aggravating evidence demonstrating a continuing pattern of extreme violence.

Following lengthy proceedings in Los Angeles County Superior Court, jurors convicted Jones of the first-degree murders of Neil Hacker and Sharon Ann Willis, along with the attempted murders of the two Lancaster roommates, the sexual assault of a fellow inmate, battery on a peace officer, and the torture and attempted murder of another inmate. During sentencing, Jones addressed the victims' families and apologized for his actions, stating, "From the bottom of my heart, I apologize. I never knew about love. I never knew about family... All I knew was violence." Judge Kathleen Kennedy acknowledged the statement but questioned whether it reflected genuine remorse. She told Jones that his apology did not erase "the horrific crimes" he had committed and noted that his violent conduct had persisted even after his incarceration. On August 14, 2009, Judge Kennedy formally sentenced Steven Anthony Jones to death, concluding one of Los Angeles County's most violent and wide-ranging criminal prosecutions.