Dunkirk man pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in fatal shooting
PORTLAND, Ind. — A Dunkirk man has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in a woman's fatal shooting.
Cory Michael Jones, 45, had been charged with murder in the slaying — on Aug. 22, 2020 — of Shanna M. Jones.
The 47-year-old victim's body was found outside their home in the 10400 block of West Jay County Road 400-S.
Cory Jones was apprehended three days after the homicide in Martinsburg, West Virginia, about 90 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.
After his arrest in West Virginia, Cory Jones maintained he had been in Florida for the past three weeks and was in the process of returning to Indiana to visit his parent
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However, witnesses said Jones on the night of the killing said he had accidentally shot the victim during a struggle over a gun.
In Indiana, a murder conviction carries a maximum 65-year prison term.
The voluntary manslaughter charge to which Jones pleaded guilty last week is a Level 2 felony with a maximum 30-year sentence. Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison set sentencing for Dec. 20.
A plea agreement also calls for Jones to admit to being a habitual offender.
According to court records, the Dunkirk man's record includes convictions for auto theft, battery resulting in bodily injury, burglary, driving while intoxicated and strangulation.
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Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Dunkirk man pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in woman's death
