by the time someone called 911 to save Zanya Krystina Jones, the 11-month-old was already dead. Her little body was already stiff when rescue workers found her lying on the living room floor of the home where she lived with her mother, father and two siblings.
The child died of starvation and dehydration, prosecutor Marie Walls said in court, and weighed exactly what she weighed at 5 months.
Linwood and Shawntay Jones, Zanya's parents, entered an Alford plea Thursday to second-degree murder, child abuse and neglect.
The Alford plea does not admit guilt, but it does say that prosecutors likely would have enough evidence to convict, should the case go to trial.
The Joneses, both 25, had been charged with second-degree murder and four counts of child abuse and neglect. The other charges will not be prosecuted.
Walls said both parents were working when the baby died on Dec. 1, just short of her first birthday. She was working at night. He took care of the three children while she slept.
Shawntay Jones told investigators that she had fed the baby just after 7 a.m., when she got home from work.
But the autopsy indicated that Zanya probably hadn't eaten in a couple of days, Walls said, and it took several attempts even to get any fluid from the body.
Meanwhile, police found squalid conditions in the home. The heat, on the first of December, wasn't turned on, to "save money." There had been no running water in the house for months.
And, even though the Joneses
got $300 a month in food stamps, there was little food. The refrigerator didn't work.
When the couple called authorities, "Shawntay Jones reported that the child wasn't breathing," Walls said. "There was confusion and chaos in the house."
A stench permeated the air, Walls said. There was trash throughout the home - trash, dirt and spoiled food.
Payments on a 42-inch TV were, however, up to date, Walls said.
Judge Carl Eason allowed the Joneses to remain free on bond until they're sentenced on Aug. 3. Each could face up to 42 years in prison.
Linda McNatt, (757) 222-5561, linda.mcnatt@pilotonline.com
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