DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The now-14-year-old boy who allegedly witnessed the murder of his mother and her boyfriend took the stand Monday.
Harvey Jones is accused of walking into the home and fatally shooting 29-year-old Demetrius Beckwith and 32-year-old Carly Hughley in January 2013. Harvey is Hughley’s ex-boyfriend.
In the 911 call placed to dispatchers that night, the caller identified the shooter as Harvey Jones. The call was played in court Monday.
On the night of the shooting, the boy told the court that he and his mother were watching television together when he mosied up to his room around 11 p.m. to continue watching television. He said sometime later, he heard Beckwith, also known as “Fatboy” walk into the house — so the boy came downstairs to say hi to him, then went back upstairs. When Fatboy was getting ready to leave, the boy came back down to say goodbye.
As “Fatboy” was walking out the door Harvey pushed in the door and pushed FatBoy to the ground and Harvey started waving the gun around. The boy’s mother was saying “please don’t hurt my baby.”
Prosecuting Attorney Dan Brandt asked the boy what he remembered next. The boy said he saw Harvey shoot the victims and then rummage through their pockets, taking a cell phone, keys and money. The boy said a total of seven shots were fired.
Brandt asked if he knew Harvey Jones and if Harvey Jones had ever lived with them. The boy said Harvey lived with them and he would see him every day. The boy said his mom and Harvey would argue twice a week.
Brandt asked the boy to identify what the “person who shot your mom and Fatboy.” The boy identified Harvey by the shirt he was wearing in court on Monday — burgundy colored. He was then asked to point at the shooter — to which he pointed at Harvey.
Patrick Redman, Harrison Township Firefighter and EMT was called to the stand where he testified that they were dispatched for a shooting and saw the Beckwith on the floor. He told the court that he had checked Beckwith’s pulse for 45 seconds and did not feel anything.
There was also a large pool of blood by the head area, Redman told the court. He then moved to help Hughley when he realized that Beckwith could not be saved. He told the court that he stepped in Beckwith’s blood and left a boot stain on the rug. That information was never disclosed to law enforcement until April 2016, more than three years after-the-fact.
The trial is expected to continue around 8:25 a.m. Tuesday.
