Northern Minnesota man admits to murder for beating girlfriend, leaving her unconscious for 2 days
A 24-year-old northern Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for beating his girlfriend in their Red Lake Indian Reservation home and leaving her unconscious for two days without calling for help.
William Jones, IV, 24, agreed this week in U.S. District Court in St. Paul to plead guilty to second-degree murder for the death of Brittany L. Roy, 27, in exchange for a 12-year prison sentence, a term at the bottom of the federal guidelines range of 12 to 17½ years.
Jones' mother contacted emergency personnel after arriving at the house and finding Roy two days after the assault.
When medical personnel arrived, Jones told them that he didn't know whom to call about Roy being unconscious, according to the criminal complaint. Roy was taken to a hospital in Fargo, never regained consciousness and died there on Nov. 22.
According to court documents:
On Nov. 6, 2019, Jones repeatedly hit Roy on the shoulders, arms, and torso, and threw her against a wall before she fell and struck her head on the floor.
Roy remained in the house unconscious but alive for nearly two days, while Jones neither contacted emergency personnel nor tried to render aid.
"This defendant not only perpetrated an extremely violent assault on his victim, he showed complete disregard for human life when he failed to seek medical aid," Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk said in a statement.
A date for Jones' sentencing has yet to be scheduled.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
