Carlos L Jones II: Florida man gets life sentence for killing ex-GF after she ignored 'his calls and texts'

FLORIDA, UNITED STATES: A 24-year-old Florida man will serve the remainder of his life in prison for the murder of his 23-year-old ex-girlfriend in 2022. He reportedly shot the defenseless victim 15 times in the back because she wouldn't return his calls or texts.

Carlos L Jones II was sentenced to life in prison by State Circuit Court Judge Steve Henderson on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, for the 2022 killing of Sha'Dayla Johnson, according to an official statement.

Charges against Carlos L Jones II

Although Jones was charged with first-degree murder in January, the jury found him guilty of one count of second-degree murder while using a firearm to cause death following his trial, according to Law&Crime.

Prosecutors said that in the coming days, Jones will be moved to the state Department of Corrections to start serving his life sentence.

Officers from the Melbourne Police Department responded to a 911 call about a female being shot in the 2000 block of Colbert Circle at approximately 7:48 am on December 20, 2022, according to the news outlet.

According to first responders, Johnson was hurt at a carport when they arrived, according to what the police wrote in a probable cause affidavit.

The document read, "Sha’Dayla [Johnson] appeared to have multiple gunshot wounds concentrated in the back side of her body, suggesting she was shot as she was walking or running away from the perpetrator.”

She later died at a hospital. The affidavit states that witnesses reported to police that they saw a black Nissan sedan with black wheels, which was identical to Jones' vehicle, leaving the scene following the shooting.

The car was seen leaving the scene on surveillance footage.

Victim's father said Jones has been harassing his daughter

According to police, Johnson and her father shared a home in Colbert Circle. When his daughter was getting ready for work earlier that evening, the victim's father told investigators he was taking a nap in his recliner in the living room.

Her father claimed to have heard gunshots shortly after she left the house for work. He noticed Jones, who he knew had been dating his daughter for the previous five months, standing behind Johnson's car and gazing toward the house when he peered out the living room window.

Jones' vehicle was preventing his daughter from leaving the driveway.

Johnson's father reported that his daughter was facedown in a pool of blood and that Jones and his car had vanished when he went outside. Investigators quickly discovered that approximately two weeks before the shooting, Johnson and Jones had broken up.

But according to the victim's father, Johnson had “been continuously calling and harassing Sha’Dayla [Johnson] in efforts to get back with her.”

“Sha’Dayla [Johnson] refused to speak to Carlos [Johnson] and ignored his calls and texts,” the affidavit stated.

The victim's father stated that Jones made their final attempt to get in touch with Johnson on December 19. According to the police affidavit, he turned himself in at the Palm Bay Police Department approximately three hours after the shooting.

The documents read, “Palm Bay Police said when Carlos [Jones] entered the lobby, he spontaneously stated that he was looking at facing 35 years in prison, but he would not elaborate why.”

Carlos L Jones' confession to detectives

According to Melbourne detectives, Jones confessed, stating that the attack was planned and that he shot Johnson on purpose with a semi-automatic handgun he owned. According to the affidavit, Jones informed detectives that Johnson's disregard for his calls and messages had left him feeling "angry" the morning of the murder.

“Carlos [Jones] said it was that very moment when he decided he was going to shoot and kill Sha’Dayla [Johnson],” the officers' statement stated.

Authorities said that Jones drove to her home just after 7:30 am to kill her because he knew she had to go to work at 8 am. According to the affidavit, he discovered her as she was leaving her front door for work after using his car to block her parked car in the driveway.

After what appeared to be a verbal exchange, he pointed his gun at her and shot her in the back fifteen times as she made her way back toward her house.

The officers stated, "His estimation in the number of rounds fired was based on the fact that he only had 3 rounds left in his magazine following the shooting.”

He went on to say, “Carlos [Jones] said he arrived with a fully loaded magazine, and his pistol, including the magazine, held a total of 18 rounds. Carlos [Jones] estimated that Sha’Dayla [Johnson] was around 8 feet away from him when he shot her, and she collapsed onto the carport floor in front of her vehicle after being shot.” 

Although he claimed to have initially purchased the gun and ammunition for self-defense, Jones allegedly stated he had purchased them about a week prior.

He allegedly changed into new clothes at his apartment following the shooting and threw them in a dumpster along with a box of 9 mm ammunition, according to police.

Then he allegedly got in his car and headed west on US 192, which led to Interstate 95.

“When he entered Interstate 95’s northbound on-ramp, he discarded his pistol magazine with 3 rounds of 9 mm ammunition out the passenger-side window,” officers said, adding, “Carlos [Jones] then traveled to the area of Nagle Drive in Rockledge, and discarded his semi-automatic pistol in a storm drain.”

He annotated a map with the dump locations, marking the location of the gun he had thrown away with an "X". Authorities claimed to have located the murder weapon in the storm drain and Jones' clothing in the dumpster outside his apartment.

Jones claimed that he decided to turn himself in as a result of his mother calling and pleading with him to turn himself in.