PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A father, charged with fatally neglecting his 8-year-old son last year, will go to trial this winter, a judge said on Wednesday.
Brandon Walker, 41, was to begin his trial Monday on charges of first-degree murder in connection with the death of Navin Jones but issues with witnesses, pending motions and scheduling issues the week prior to trial caused Peoria County Circuit Judge John Vespa to cancel that setting.
His new trial date is now Dec. 11 and is scheduled to last about a week. The boy’s mother – and Walker’s girlfriend – Stephanie Jones, 36, will go to trial on Jan. 22, 2024.
Before that, however, Walker’s attorney Gary Morris will get to argue why he thinks text message conversations between Jones and Walker should be barred at trial. Morris said in his Sept. 13 motion that police failed to obtain a search warrant before testifying at a grand jury proceeding.
Walker and Jones are charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of Navin Jones who was found unresponsive at his home on North Gale Avenue on March 29, 2022.
Jones and Walker are both alleged to have “withheld medical care and nutrition from Navin Jones,” knowing such acts created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm to the boy, according to authorities.
Both are charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of Navin Jones who was found unresponsive at his home on North Gale Avenue on March 29, 2022.
Jones and Walker are both alleged to have “withheld medical care and nutrition from Navin Jones,” knowing such acts created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm to the boy, according to authorities.
