PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)– A Peoria County Judge is set to determine whether to split the trials of the parents of 8-year-old Navin Jones, who are accused of staving him to death.
Stephanie Jones and Brandon Walker appeared in court Thursday afternoon. Both are charged with six counts of First-Degree Murder in the death of their son Navin.
Judge John Vespa said there is an issue of whether both Jones and Walker made statements that implicate each other.
He said he wants to watch a DVD of their previous interviews and make a determination of whether or not to sever them and give them each their own separate trial.
Vespa said he wants to give himself until March 9 to make that decision.
Prosecutors said abuse and neglect from Jones and Walker led to Navin’s death on March 29, 2022. He was reported to have been exceedingly malnourished and weighed just 30 pounds at the time of his death.
Both Jones’ and Walker’s trials are still set for June 26.
