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Thread: Death Penalty Trial Set for Maya Gwenlyn Jones in 2022 LA Slaying of 2-Year-Old Ezekiel Harry

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    Death Penalty Trial Set for Maya Gwenlyn Jones in 2022 LA Slaying of 2-Year-Old Ezekiel Harry


    Exekiel Harry




    Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman showed snapshots from a surveillance video that showed Jones walking and driving around with a black duffel bag allegedly containing the boy’s lifeless body before dumping it in a trash can on Daspit Street.(HPD)



    Mother, boyfriend could face death penalty for dumping 2-year-old in trash can

    By Rob Masson
    WVUE News

    HOUMA, La. (WVUE) - The Terrebonne Parish District Attorney says he may seek the death penalty against a woman and her boyfriend now charged with the murder of two-year-old Ezekiel Harry.

    In a press conference the morning after the grim discovery, officials said the case rocked the community.

    Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman says the boy’s mother, Maya Jones, 28, originally called authorities to report someone in a gray truck who had snatched the toddler off the roadway and fled the area. Houma police almost immediately cast doubt on the mother’s account, saying detectives quickly developed information that led them to suspect foul play.

    Coleman showed snapshots from a surveillance video that showed Jones walking and driving around with a black duffel bag allegedly containing the boy’s lifeless body before dumping it in a trash can on Daspit Street.

    The bag containing Harry’s body was found in the trash can around 6 p.m. on July 12, Coleman says.

    Jones and her boyfriend, Jermaine Robinson, 37, are facing first-degree murder charges.

    “This is absolutely a death penalty case,” D.A. Joe Waitz said. “What happened to this little two-year-old shocks the conscience.”

    Waitz says his office will meet with the victim’s family before making a death penalty determination. He says the case should move to a grand jury for indictments in “relatively short order.”

    Neighbors report ongoing abuse at Harry’s home, saying they heard screams and contacted authorities multiple times.

    “For over a month now [I] have been calling the cops and cps and nothing happen!!” neighbor Sara Plaisance posted to Facebook. “I would cry at night listening to those kids scream and cry inside that house. My heart is breaking so much. I knew it was just a matter of time before would happen and I knew it would be soon, but there was nothing else I could do.”

    Chief Coleman said the history of abuse is being looked into and is under investigation, however, physical abuse is suspected.

    The parish coroner will determine Harry’s official cause of death upon completion of an autopsy.

    https://www.fox8live.com/2022/07/13/...old-trash-can/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Cause of death revealed in case of 2-year-old found dead in trash can

    Harry's mother, Maya Jones, 28, and her live-in boyfriend Jermaine Robinson, 37, could potentially face the death penalty for the child's death

    By WWL Staff

    HOUMA, La. — Investigators say a 2-year-old who was found dead in a Houma trash can died from severe blunt force trauma to the head.

    The Houma Police Department published the cause of death of 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry on Friday, adding that the official coroner's report is still awaiting toxicology test results.

    Harry's mother, Maya Jones, 28, and her live-in boyfriend Jermaine Robinson, 37, could potentially face the death penalty for the child's death.

    Police said that Jones initially came to them with a report that her child had been abducted but that inconsistencies in her story immediately led them to suspect foul play. Jones' claims led to a several hour search by helicopters and boats along Bayou Terrebonne.

    A few hours into the search, Police Chief Dana Coleman said that Jones led them to Ezekiel’s body, found in a trash can on Daspit Street.

    https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/l...c-25b1139d3d37
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Slain Houma toddler Ezekiel Harry remembered on night of third birthday

    Mourners gathered to renew calls for justice

    By David Jones
    WVUE News

    THIBODAUX, La. (WVUE) - As the family of slain toddler Ezekiel Harry gathered as Moses Baptist Cemetery, releasing balloons to commemorate what would have been his third birthday, questions remain about the circumstances leading up to the child’s death.

    The boy was killed July 12, his remains found in a duffel bag dropped into a trash can in Houma. His mother Maya Jones, and her live-in boyfriend Jermaine Robinson, were arrested on murder allegations. Police said Jones lied about Harry’s whereabouts, initially reporting him missing before changing her story under questioning by detectives.

    Autopsy results showed the boy known as “Zeke” died of blunt force trauma to the head.

    Fox 8 reported that Robinson had faced and pleaded guilty to a slew of child abuse and drug charges in the past, in both Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

    “I’m to the point now where I just want to know the details of what happened to my son,” said Trey Harry, Ezekiel’s father. “He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve it. No child should have to go through that.”

    The elder Harry said Jones has refused to make further statements to investigators while in custody.

    “I want to see the mother of this child speak up,” he said. “I’m over here, with our other three kids, thinking about my son every second of my life. All I want is for her to speak up, what she should have done on Day 1.”

    Fox 8 obtained three calls made to police related to the Cadiere Street home where Ezekiel lived with his mother, siblings and Robinson. One came from a concerned neighbor, the other two from Jones’ mother Jacqueline Jones.

    In a June 17 call, a neighbor told police she heard “yelling” coming from the home, and that “it sounded like it was getting violent.”

    When Houma Police arrived at the home, Robinson told an officer he was arguing with Maya Jones because “his girlfriend’s child broke his new phone.” The officer wrote that Jones confirmed they were arguing because her child broke Robinson’s phone, but that police assistance wasn’t needed.

    In the other calls -- placed July 4 and July 9 -- Jacqueline Jones called police to the home because she suspected Robinson was beating her daughter. On both occasions, officers arrived but were rebuffed by Maya Jones, despite having “obvious old bruising to her right eye and blood marks,” the report said.

    “Nothing was reported to us of anything going on to where children were being abused on any of the three calls you have,” Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman said. “The only thing we have is a kid possibly damaged a phone. Both parties said they’re OK, and they didn’t need police.

    “I think whenever a report is made to law enforcement, if there’s an issue law enforcement needs to take care of, then that parent who is a victim of whatever is going on in that house needs to let law enforcement know, so they can take the proper measures to resolve it.”

    Ezekiel’s family is looking for answers and potential closure, Trey Harry said.

    “This is very heartbreaking and hard,” Harry said. “I’ll never go on with it. My heart’s gonna be broken forever. I know that.”

    https://www.wafb.com/2022/08/09/slai...hird-birthday/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Accused killers of Houma toddler Ezekiel Harry indicted, bonds set at $5.1 million

    Boy’s mother and her live-in boyfriend charged with first-degree murder, obstruction

    By David Jones
    WVUE News

    HOUMA, La. (WVUE) - A Terrebonne Parish grand jury charged the accused killers of Houma toddler Ezekiel Harry, the boy’s mother and her live-in boyfriend, with first-degree murder and obstruction of justice in connection with his death.

    A judge set bond amounts at $5.1 million each for 28-year-old Maya Jones and 36-year-old Jermaine Robinson, who are accused of killing Jones’ son and stuffing his body into a duffel bag dropped into a trash can on July 12.

    Harry’s remains were found in the garbage can after police said Jones went to neighbors to claim Harry had been abducted. A daylong search was launched, before Jones began changing her story, according to police.

    Autopsy results show Harry died of blunt force trauma to the head. Police released video showing Jones and Robinson on the morning of his death carrying a duffel bag allegedly containing Harry’s remains.

    Jones and Robinson are scheduled for an arraignment hearing Aug. 23. A trial date of Nov. 14 has been set before Judge Jason Dagate.

    Robinson previously pleaded guilty to drug and child abuse charges.

    https://www.wafb.com/2022/08/16/accu...et-51-million/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Mom and boyfriend to face death penalty if convicted of killing 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry

    Colin Campo
    The Courier

    A Houma woman and her boyfriend will face the death penalty if convicted of killing her 2-year-old boy, whose body was found in a garbage can July 12, prosecutors said Wednesday.

    Terrebonne Parish Assistant District Attorney Bud Barnes said he has filed court papers today notifying defense attorneys that his office will pursue it as a capital case.

    Maya Gwenlyn Jones, 28, and Jermaine Michael Robinson, 37, were indicted Aug. 12 on first-degree murder charges in the death of Ezekiel Harry.

    The boy died from severe, blunt-force trauma to the head, autopsy results show. Police allege Jones and Robinson had carried the child’s body for hours on Houma streets in a black duffel bag, then dumped the bag in a trash bin on Daspit Street, a block from Houma Police headquarters.

    The two are being held in the Terrebonne Parish jail, each on $5.1 million bail.

    Terrebonne District Attorney Joe Waitz Jr. said during a July 13 news conference that his office would meet with the boy's family to come to a decision about how to pursue the case.

    "I anticipate first-degree murder indictments on both," Waitz said at the time. "This is absolutely a potential death penalty case."

    Ezekiel's death sent shockwaves through the community and beyond.

    About 400 motorcycles, some from as far as Texas, joined in a procession through Thibodaux to give Ezekiel a final send-off July 23. Several hundred people packed Moses Baptist Church on Canal Boulevard for Ezekiel's funeral to show their support and offer condolences to his family. A vigil held in Houma's Courthouse Square three days after the boy's death attracted hundreds as elected officials, police and religious leaders tried to console the wider public.

    https://www.houmatoday.com/story/new...y/69558885007/
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    Trial dates set in Ezekiel Harry case

    By Kourtney Williams
    WDSU News

    HOUMA, La. — Ezekiel's mother, Maya Jones and her boyfriend, Jermaine Robinson, stood by their not-guilty pleas Tuesday morning.

    "They shouldn't have had a chance to even plead not guilty." said Michael Willi, family spokesperson.

    Jones and Robinson are accused of placing the child's body in a duffel bag and placed in a trash can back in July of 2022.

    Investigators say the child died from severe blunt force trauma to the head.

    The trial date for Jones is set for July of next year and August 2024 for Robinson. The child's grandmother says she's happy Ezekiel is closer to justice, but each hearing breaks her heart.

    "Every time I go in court. My stomach bothers me just sitting there looking at the both of them, not knowing what's going on. It really hurts. Sometimes I feel like just getting up." said Cynthia Harry, the child's grandmother.

    Police reports show the mother went to police saying her child had been abducted, but inconsistencies in her story immediately led them to suspect foul play.

    "We want the right thing to be done by this child from getting killed by his mom and her live-in boyfriend," Willis said.

    After an hours-long search, Jones led them to the 2-year-old's body, which was found in a trash can on Daspit Street in Houma.

    Ezekiel Harry's father was present in court today to witness the hearing, but the family says he had to leave abruptly, but looks forward to the day justice is served.

    Another hearing is set for next month.

    https://www.wdsu.com/article/trial-d...-case/45329167
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Claims of past abuse allowed to be entered in case of slain Houma toddler Ezekiel Harry

    By David Jones
    Fox 8 News

    HOUMA, La. (WVUE) - Tentative trial dates have been set for the mother of Ezekiel Harry, the 2-year-old beaten to death in Houma in July 2022, and for her live-in boyfriend who had a history of drugs and child abuse.

    Harry’s body was found stuffed in a city trash can on July 12, 2022, with the coroner determining the toddler died of severe blunt force trauma to the head.

    Sources confirm to Fox 8 tentative trial dates were set for Maya Jones, Harry’s biological mother, as well as Jermaine Robinson, the live-in boyfriend. Jones is set to go to trial in July 2024, while Robinson is set to go to trial in August 2024.

    Each faces charges of first-degree murder and obstruction of justice.

    Sources said that in a recent hearing, statements from Jones’ other children were allowed into evidence over the objections of Jones’ defense attorney.

    Those statements show the home Jones was living in was provided by The Haven, a nonprofit serving domestic abuse victims in Terrebonne, Lafourche and Ascension parishes.

    Jones’ surviving children gave statements alleging ongoing abuse in Jones’ home, saying they were locked in their rooms and sometimes forced to use the bathroom in buckets.

    Jones and Robinson face the death penalty, and recently had their cases severed, meaning they will not stand trial together.

    Robinson, 36, was in and out of the Lafourche Parish criminal justice system, facing a 2017 charge of distribution of drugs and a 2009 charge of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile. Robinson pled guilty to both charges.

    In Terrebonne Parish, Robinson was arrested in 2005 for a hit and run, and in 2006 pled guilty. He also faced 2016 felony charges of armed robbery, but accepted a plea deal for simple robbery and was sentenced to nine months with credit for time served.

    https://www.fox8live.com/2023/10/17/...ezekiel-harry/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Ezekiel Harry: toddler and sibling were treated like prisoners, abused, court records show

    By Colin Campo
    Houma Courier-Thibodaux Daily Comet


    An east Houma residence intended as a refuge for abused families was instead a place of torment for four siblings, including a now-dead 2-year-old.

    The toddler, Ezekiel Harry, was beaten to death and his body was discarded in a trash can a block from the Houma Police Department on July 12, 2022. His death sparked outrage and sorrow through the parish and beyond. A vigil was held on the courthouse steps, July 15, 2022, and bikers from around the country led a funeral procession for the toddler, July 24, 2022.

    Ezekiel's mother, Maya Gwenlyn Jones, and her boyfriend, Jermaine Michael Robinson, face first-degree murder charges, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.

    Ezekiel and his siblings were routinely "whipped," and locked in a room for simple potty mishaps, court documents show.

    "The children gave interviews to detectives, then to the children's advocacy center, where there were clear signs of mistreatment alluded to in the interviews," District Court Judge Jason Dagate said, court records show. "The kids described having to use the restroom in a bucket and could not leave the room at times and it was apparent, despite their young ages, in their words they were whooped for using the restroom on themselves and that the kids were also scared that Jermaine or Ms. Jones would find out that they were talking in the interviews. In addition, the CAC interviews describe the sounds of arguments and noises coming from the room of Ms. Jones and Robinson."

    Prosecutors allege that Jones beat Ezekiel, and the boy's 8-year-old sister as well. The detective's report also states that Robinson beat the children as well. He currently has a trial date set for Aug. 19.

    Jones's Defense Attorney Paul F. Vernon attempted to suppress the medical records of Ezekiel and the other children, as well as the evidence collected from the Haven from being allowed into evidence because he said the search warrants lacked probable cause, were too broad and infringed on Jones's and her children's right to privacy. He also tried to show some of the warrants were written in bad faith and likened the warrants to a dragnet.

    "You wrote in your application that... based on information obtained in this investigation from the CAC interviews with Jones's other kids... it is believe that the abuse didn't start with Ezekiel, who was said to have been beaten to death based on information from the coroner's office," he said. "What's said in the CAC interviews relates specifically to limited claims by the children of abuse by Mr. Robinson towards one of the other children, towards the deceased child and towards Ms. Jones. That doesn't justify a search for all of the medical records for the entire lives of all of the children."

    The Haven is a domestic violence shelter for battered women and their children. The nonprofit provided the home, 145 Cadiere St., which Jones and the children were staying in.

    Dagate denied the evidence being suppressed. He said that based on the evidence Detective Lawrence Arceneaux had gathered up to that point, it would have been wrong for him not to check the children's medical records.

    "If there was such a thing as malpractice for a police officer, it seems it would be malpractice for an officer not to request a warrant to search medical records for children after learning that a 2-year-old was said to have been beaten to death and that the other children gave testimony," Dagate said, court records show.

    Arceneaux began seeking these documents shortly after he saw the injuries on Ezekiel's body and the Coroner's Office found multiple head injuries to be the cause of death. The effects of witnessing the 2-year-old's body in the duffle bag have remained with him to this day, as both Dagate and Prosecutor Jason Lyons remarked on his body language four days after his testimony.

    Shortly after learning the family was staying in a house owned by the Haven, the detective requested search warrants for evidence from them, and for the medical records of each of the children. These warrants were approved by Judge Timothy Ellender.

    Arceneaux found evidence that both Jones and Robinson were abusing the children. He also found evidence that Robinson abused Jones.

    Other evidence obtained by the Houma Police Department included video footage of the day before Ezekiel's body was discovered. Police allege it shows Jones walking around with her other children and an empty baby carriage. The video footage of the siblings' statements adds context to the event.

    "It's also apparent when one watches the videos that the kids describe Ms. Jones and the kids walking to the bayou to have a picnic, and Ms. Jones was carrying a car seat covered with a blanket, that she led the other children to believe that Ezekiel was sleeping when some sort of staged kidnapping of Ezekiel took place," Dagate said, court records show. "The kids describe a man driving in a truck with a robber mask on. I mention that because one can only imagine the mental trauma experienced by those brothers and sisters."

    Jones called the police and reported that Ezekiel was abducted. That was later proven to be false when further footage was obtained that showed her and Robinson carrying the duffle bag for hours before discarding it in a garbage can.

    The arguments the children said they heard were also reported by neighbors. Though police were notified of the disturbances, they were limited in how they could respond. State Sen. Mike Fesi wrote a bill that was passed into law last year titled "Ezekiel's Law."

    The law further opens communications for the Department of Children and Human Services and other child welfare entities. He said he hoped these changes would aid in preventing anything similar from happening in the future.

    https://www.houmatoday.com/story/new...w/72266913007/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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