THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 28, 1996 TAG: 9605280047
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Interview
SOURCE: BY LYNN WALTZ, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 189 lines
Tobin Jones spends his time in the jail singing show tunes, pop tunes and opera. He also files complaints, alleges brutality and demands pizza delivery to his cell.
What he doesn't do, Jones said in his first public statement Monday, is mourn the death of his wife, Megan, whose body was found May 18 wrapped in sheets and clothing in the waterfront home the couple once shared on Delaware Avenue.
That's because police delays in identifying the severely decomposed body have made him doubt the body is his wife, Jones said. On Wednesday, police confirmed the body's identity through dental records, officially declared the death a homicide and changed the name on Jones' arrest warrant from ``Jane Doe'' to ``Megan Jones.''
``To this day I have not been given written proof of the cause of death or an identification,'' Jones said. ``I don't know until I have proof. In the medical profession one learns you need proof. . . . I need to know the cause of her death. Of course, I have thought about her, about the many gifts she gave me over the years.''
``She helped me learn many things about love and the meaning of love. She was a very loving person, yes.''
Jones has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his attorney, Stanley Sacks - who was present for 10 minutes of the interview - said that Jones believes he is innocent.
When asked if he could have blacked out, killed his wife and not remember, Jones said, ``I can't comment on that.''
Jones, 36, a psychiatrist and medical director - on leave - of the city's Community Services Board, has been held without bond since May 19, when he was charged with the murder of his wife, missing since Mother's Day. He says he has no idea why police have arrested him.
In a three-hour exclusive interview at the jail Monday, Jones talked about his failed relationship with his wife, and their shared love of theater and music.
But mostly, Jones wanted to talk about alleged mistreatment at the jail, his inability to make phone calls, the lack of evidence against him and his desire for better food.
Jones confirmed reports that his parents - perhaps aided by his wife - had him involuntarily committed for two weeks to a mental health facility about two months before the slaying. Jones said he took off his wedding ring the day before the commitment and felt betrayed by his wife and parents, describing the incident as ``a great injustice'' and ``dehumanizing.'' Jones says he is not mentally ill.
Jail officials say Jones has been difficult, throwing tantrums over limited television hours and not being permitted to have pizza delivered to his jail cell. Deputies describe him as pompous, haughty and demanding.
In one incident, inmates said, Jones urinated on the floor in front of the television outside his cell after deputies refused to turn it on early one morning. Jones said it was because he was angry about a 60-hour lapse in phone service to the cell block.
``I'd like to have a cell phone here in my cell,'' Jones said. ``That's a joke.''
Inmates say Jones, a trained tenor, has a beautiful singing voice but wish he wouldn't sing so early in the morning. They said he loudly repeats his requests for towels, toothpaste, a toothbrush and comb.
``He sings Whitney Houston, `The Sound of Music,' classical, pop, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey and the national anthem,'' said deputy Anthony Davis. ``He's extremely loud. You can hear him all through the halls.''
Jones and his wife were both prominent figures in the local theater and music scene. Jones performed with Commonwealth Musical Stage in Virginia Beach and the Virginia Opera in Norfolk. His wife performed with Little Theatre of Norfolk. Jones said his wife began her acting career as a child and eventually reached professional standing before moving to Norfolk with him in 1991.
The two did their first and only show together at Little Theatre of Norfolk in 1992, ``The Unsinkable Molly Brown.''
Jones began playing violin as a child growing up in Kenai, Alaska, where, in high school, he sang with a concert choir. He went to medical school in New Mexico before he moved to Norfolk.
Jones is being held in a protective custody cell about 5 by 6feet square, just large enough for a small bunk with a thin green plastic mattress and a chrome toilet. A small shelf holds a noodle cup, crackers and a card from colleagues at the Community Services Board, where he worked until March before taking an unpaid leave.
Jones was arrested while mowing the grass at the home he formerly shared with his wife on Delaware Avenue in Colonial Place - after police found his wife's body inside. Police believe she had been there about five days.
Jones waived his rights to remain silent and talked to police for nearly two hours before asking for an attorney, he said. He does not believe the interview was videotaped, though taping is standard practice during most interrogations. Jones would not comment on what he told police or whether what he said was used by police to obtain the arrest warrant against him. Police will not say why they believe Jones killed his wife.
In one of many lapses of memory in an otherwise detail-laden interview, Jones said he does not remember many of the events in the week after his wife's death.
``I can't remember all the details that week. I don't have my date book with me as to the days of the week or what was going on,'' Jones said.
When asked why he was not sad over his wife's death or mourning his loss as people would expect, Jones replied, ``I'm angry. What I have to go by is documentation. I've been accused of her murder. My attorney has entered a plea of not guilty. That says it all. I'm waiting for a signed coroner's report. This facility is overcrowded. There are 1,300 prisoners in a jail designed for 570.''
When asked if he was concerned about a perception that he was only concerned for himself and not his wife, Jones replied, ``How would you feel if you were lied to and assaulted? I'm filing charges. Inmates tell me they lose 10 to 15 pounds in the first two months here because of the lack of good nutrition. I have to do what I have to do to get my needs met in this facilty. I have to look after my own concerns.''
Jones had a clear memory of other events prior to his wife's death, including the breakup of their marriage and his subsequent involuntary commitment to a mental health facility.
Jones said he legally married Megan in April 1990, though the two had a nonbinding marriage ceremony for family in May 1986. They met in New Mexico, where she was working as a critical care nurse.
In March, Jones applied for family leave from the Norfolk Community Services Board so he could help his parents move from one home to another in New Mexico. While he was there, on March 9, Jones said he got a disquieting phone call from his wife.
``I was quite dismayed by the things my parents and Megan said to me,'' Jones said. ``I did remove my wedding band on that night. I made a decision I needed to separate. I did not know then that an involuntary hospitalization was being pursued.''
Jones said his parents - mainly his father - believed their son needed help. As a result, that night he left their home.
``There were certain accusations and allegations,'' Jones said. ``I decided that it would be best if I did not stay with my parents, but in a local motel.''
The next day, on March 10, the family arranged for a psychiatrist to recommend an emergency detaining order, Jones said.
``Based on information obtained from my family and possibly Megan, I was forcibly handcuffed in front of the Chamber of Commerce in Ruidoso, New Mexico, as I was walking down the street,'' Jones said. ``The police threatened me with a stun gun.''
Jones was transported to a hospital, where he was held for two weeks, he said. Megan flew to New Mexico ``to support me,'' Jones said. ``I don't know what other role she played.''
After another hearing on March 25, Jones was released.
``I was not a danger to self or others. There was no mental disorder,'' Jones said. ``My father is not a mental health professional.''
When Jones returned to Norfolk at the end of March, police say he began stalking an actress acquaintance. The actress called Megan and she apparently talked to her husband about it, though Jones said the conversation was not confrontational.
``There was no argument with Megan or conflict as far as my interaction went,'' Jones said.
Eventually, , police say, Jones broke into the woman's apartment. Police filed charges of breaking and entering, trespassing and stalking. Jones is awaiting trial on those charges.
During Monday's interview, Jones seemed in good spirits, smiling, joking and offering to sing, though he was very concerned about alleged physical abuse by deputies, calling it a ``significant issue.''
A fellow doctor was beaten at the jail and suffered broken ribs, he said, offering scrawled notes by the doctor - who formerly occupied his cell - from under his mattress as proof. Jones said he too had been attacked. He showed his injuries, encircled with pencil marks, asking a photographer to document several scratches and a quarter-sized bruise on his left leg.
Jones shared frequent smiles as he made sarcastic remarks about ``the lovely'' jail conditions, but he was also intense at times. His unwavering blue eyes looked through round horn-rimmed glasses as he leaned over a white metal picnic table in the jail's classroom area near his cell.
At one point, Jones toyed with a television reporter, first agreeing to an interview, then demanding a pizza in return.
``You can't photograph me, but I'll sing one, two or three songs off camera that express how I feel, '' Jones joked. Then he turned serious. ``No pizza. No interview,'' he told the television reporter, offering him a $3 coupon for Papa John's.
``That is the condition. If he doesn't want to order from Papa Johns, then he can order from Chanellos. Have it delivered between 9:30 and 10:00.'' Jail officials refused to allow the delivery.
At the end of the interview, Jones posed for a photographer in his cell by a single card from colleagues at work, taped to hang down from his shelf. Under a red and white striped lighthouse with a rainbow, the card read: ``Courage. It takes strength to be courageous and courage to be so strong especially when things are as difficult as they have been for you lately.'' ILLUSTRATION: VICKI CRONIS
The Virginian-Pilot
Dr. Tobin Jones, a 36-year-old psychiatrist, has been held without
bond since May 19, when he was charged with the murder of his wife,
Megan.
VICKI CRONIS
The Virginian-Pilot
Dr. Tobin Jones, accused of killing his wife, Megan, says he is
being mistreated in Norfolk City Jail.
KEYWORDS: MURDER DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTERVIEW by CNB