THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 20, 1996 TAG: 9606200406
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LYNN WALTZ, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 85 lines
Megan Jones wanted her body cremated and her ashes sprinkled from a boat onto the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, her body is caught in a legal snarl between her husband, who refuses to release her remains, and her parents, who want to grant their daughter's wishes and give her final rest.
Jones, a local performer and costumer, was found dead May 18, wrapped in a rug in an upstairs bedroom of her Delaware Avenue home. She had been there about a week, police said. Her estranged husband, psychiatrist Tobin Jones, has been charged with murder.
Because he is next of kin, Jones must sign off on the release of his wife's body. But Jones said Wednesday through his attorney that the medical examiner's autopsy is inconclusive and does not provide evidence that his wife was murdered rather than a victim of suicide. Jones said he wants more time to raise money to pay for an independent autopsy.
Meanwhile, Megan Jones' parents are asking a Norfolk judge to step in and settle the matter. A hearing is scheduled for Friday.
``This is upsetting and ridiculous,'' said Megan Jones' stepfather, Ken Pope, in a telephone interview Wednesday from Oklahoma. ``It's ridiculous and stupid and very disturbing that Tobin is taking this attitude. I don't care how he felt to Meg - which apparently must have been very bad - you just can't fathom this kind of thinking of keeping us from getting the body. What's the point? Dead is dead. Murder is murder.''
A preliminary medical examiner's report indicates three crescent-shaped cuts in the top of Megan Jones' head. The front of her pink nightshirt was splattered with blood, the report said.
Two of the cuts went through the scalp, the report said, in concluding they were caused by ``blunt force head injuries.'' There were no fractures to the skull, and the cause of death is pending until drug and alcohol testing is completed, the report indicated.
Tobin Jones' attorney, Stanley Sacks, said Wednesday that the report is inconclusive and does not describe any wounds that would cause death. He has asked prosecutors to turn over information they have about Megan Jones' medical history, including possible treatment for depression or possible abuse of drugs or alcohol.
Police have ruled the death a homicide and suggested in search warrant affidavits that they believe the cause of death is blunt-force trauma to the head. They apparently have not recovered a murder weapon, according to court records.
The medical examiner's report is but one piece of an ``exhaustive investigation'' that led to Tobin Jones' arrest, Commonwealth's Attorney Chuck Griffith said Wednesday.
``There is no information in this report which indicates in any way that Megan Jones died of natural causes. There is only information that she died of violent causes.''
Griffith said he has found no legal authority for Tobin Jones to order an independent autopsy, and no motions have been filed by his attorneys requesting one. Meanwhile, Griffith said, ``Megan Jones' family sits grieving, unable to properly lay their daughter to rest.''
Sacks said Wednesday that there has been unexplained and unprecedented secrecy in the case, especially regarding the medical examiner's report.
``The man's been in jail for weeks with no cause of death. Do you know of any cases where a man's been held in jail where they can't prove she's been murdered? There are some lacerations on her head. I'm not a doctor, but they didn't look like they could be fatal.''
Sacks also said his client will not agree to a cremation until an independent forensic autopsy is done.
And that's where things get complicated.
Sacks said Megan Jones' family has frozen the couple's joint accounts. His client cannot come up with the money - probably around $3,500 - to pay for the autopsy.
Megan Jones' stepfather said Wednesday he has no intention of letting Jones pay for his defense with his dead wife's money, including a recent loan from her parents.
``It's all due to Virginia law,'' Pope said. ``Until he is found guilty of murder, her estate goes to him.''
Pope said he simply could not put into words the emotional turmoil he and Megan's mother have been through, first with the murder itself and now with Megan Jones' body. It has made the grieving process harder, he said - making it difficult to resolve the painful emotions.
``Her mother's in a hell of a shape. I'm just her stepdad, and I'm torn up and disgusted.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
Megan Jones
Tobin Jones
KEYWORDS: MURDER AUTOPSY by CNB