ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A Jennings man appeared in St. Louis County Circuit Court on Monday and admitted killing his girlfriend and her daughter and shooting two other children.
Joseph Jones, 43, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and attempted first-degree murder assault. The trial was slated to begin Monday morning.
The quadruple shooting took place on Oct. 10, 2020, at an apartment in the 8800 block of Shannon Fox Circle.
Investigators said Bernadetta Cooper, 40, had been shot several times and was pronounced dead at the scene. Cooper’s daughter, Doryan Bryant, 6, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Two other children, aged 10 and 16 at the time, were also shot but survived.
Jones, Cooper’s boyfriend, was taken into custody at the time.
Jones had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, the court found him competent to face trial. During Monday’s plea hearing, Jones said he was competent to enter a guilty plea.
Cooper’s two surviving children were prepared to testify during the trial. They got the opportunity to speak at the plea hearing, along with other family members.
“You took my baby, and you took my grandbaby, and I can’t get them back,” Cooper’s mother said at the hearing.
Jones did not speak on his own behalf prior to sentencing, but his sister did.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office recommended a sentence of life plus 20 years in prison, to which the judge agreed. Jones will have to serve 85% of his sentence before he’s eligible for parole.
