Spurned Fiance Convicted Of Baby's Murder
Child Found Buried In Santee
POSTED: 3:32 p.m. PDT October 15, 2001
UPDATED: 5:55 p.m. PDT October 15, 2001
SAN DIEGO -- A rejected suitor bent on revenge was convicted Monday of killing his ex-girlfriend's 4-month-old son.
Marshall Jones (pictured, left), 32, wanted to get back at 19-year-old Benjamie Winfree for accepting, then rejecting his marriage proposal, Deputy District Attorney Garry Haehnle said.
Jones was convicted of suffocating the infant and burying his body in Santee, near the San Diego River bottom.
The defendant shook his head as a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder with the special circumstance allegation that the Dec. 27 killing took place during a kidnapping.
Jones, also found guilty of assault on a child causing death and kidnapping, faces life in prison without parole when he is sentenced Nov. 13.
Haehnle told jurors the defendant took Wolfgang "Willy" Winfree (pictured, right) from his mother as she and her sister left Jones' El Cajon apartment.
The prosecutor said Jones and Benjamie Winfree began dating in 1998. Jones eventually became obsessed with the woman, Haehnle said.
Jones bought Winfree a diamond ring and proposed to her on Dec. 24, and she accepted, Haehnle said. But she talked to her father and told Jones on Dec. 26 that she had changed her mind.
Jones got upset and told Winfree he was going to do something "to make front page news," the prosecutor told the jury.
The next day, Winfree and her sister took the baby to see Jones at his apartment, Haehnle said. As they were leaving, Jones grabbed the child, put him in his car and drove off, the prosecutor said.
Jones buried the baby in a shallow grave near the San Diego River bottom in Santee, after drinking two beers and eating some chips, Haehnle said.
Sheriff's detectives questioned Jones as he exited a bushy area off Mission Gorge Road about 11:50 p.m. A baby stroller and shovel were found nearby, Haehnle said.
Jones was released when a search of the area turned up nothing.
But the prosecutor said Jones told Winfree, "You're never going to see your baby again," when she called him about 3 a.m. on Dec. 28.
The next day, detectives returned to the scene and found the baby's body below 2 inches of dirt.
Jones was arrested the next day when he pulled his car into a motel off Interstate 8 near Waring Road, the prosecutor said.
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Marshall Jones (pictured, left), 32, wanted to get back at 19-year-old Benjamie Winfree for accepting, then rejecting his marriage proposal, Deputy District Attorney Garry Haehnle said.
Jones was convicted of suffocating the infant and burying his body in Santee, near the San Diego River bottom.
The defendant shook his head as a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder with the special circumstance allegation that the Dec. 27 killing took place during a kidnapping.
Jones, also found guilty of assault on a child causing death and kidnapping, faces life in prison without parole when he is sentenced Nov. 13.
Haehnle told jurors the defendant took Wolfgang "Willy" Winfree (pictured, right) from his mother as she and her sister left Jones' El Cajon apartment.
The prosecutor said Jones and Benjamie Winfree began dating in 1998. Jones eventually became obsessed with the woman, Haehnle said.
Jones bought Winfree a diamond ring and proposed to her on Dec. 24, and she accepted, Haehnle said. But she talked to her father and told Jones on Dec. 26 that she had changed her mind.
Jones got upset and told Winfree he was going to do something "to make front page news," the prosecutor told the jury.
The next day, Winfree and her sister took the baby to see Jones at his apartment, Haehnle said. As they were leaving, Jones grabbed the child, put him in his car and drove off, the prosecutor said.
Jones buried the baby in a shallow grave near the San Diego River bottom in Santee, after drinking two beers and eating some chips, Haehnle said.
Sheriff's detectives questioned Jones as he exited a bushy area off Mission Gorge Road about 11:50 p.m. A baby stroller and shovel were found nearby, Haehnle said.
Jones was released when a search of the area turned up nothing.
But the prosecutor said Jones told Winfree, "You're never going to see your baby again," when she called him about 3 a.m. on Dec. 28.
The next day, detectives returned to the scene and found the baby's body below 2 inches of dirt.
Jones was arrested the next day when he pulled his car into a motel off Interstate 8 near Waring Road, the prosecutor said.
Previous Story:
- January 4, 2001: Father Denies Suffocating 4-Month-Old Son To Death
- January 2, 2001: Infant's Body Found In Shallow Grave Near Santee
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