THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 5, 1996 TAG: 9609050352
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LYNN WALTZ, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 50 lines
Megan Jones, wife of psychiatrist Tobin Jones, died from ``probable asphyxiation with blunt force injuries contributing,'' Commonwealth's Attorney Chuck Griffith said Wednesday.
Griffith said a medical examiner's report had established cause of death and included a long-awaited toxicology report. The report indicated the presence of small amounts of sleeping pills. There was no evidence of other drugs, Griffith said.
Jones' preliminary hearing had been scheduled for Wednesday, but the hearing was postponed while psychiatrists at Central State Hospital evaluated Jones. That evaluation was completed Wednesday, but the results have not been released.
Jones was charged with the murder of his wife in May, and the case has been shrouded in secrecy since. The release of the cause of death was the first indication defense attorneys had of the state's case against Jones.
Megan Jones, 43, was killed around Mother's Day, and her body lay wrapped in a sheet and clothing in a second-floor bedroom of the Delaware Avenue home for about a week before she was found.
Severe decomposition of the body and equipment failures at the state lab led to the long delays in the toxicology and autopsy reports.
Griffith said he would release the findings from Central State when he received them in writing, probably later this week.
Griffith said he will schedule a court hearing when he receives the evaluation.
If Jones is competent to stand trial, a preliminary hearing will be scheduled. If not, Griffith said, he would ask to have Jones committed for treatment.
``If he is found not competent, we will try to restore him,'' Griffith said. ``If they reach a point where he is unrestorable, then we have to have him committed.''
Jones has a history of mental problems, and his family had him committed earlier this year.
Jones had a nervous breakdown in March, his parents said, which led to a two-week hospitalization and a leave of absence from his job as medical director of the city's Community Service Board. He also split up with his wife in March and, police charge, began stalking a woman the couple knew from their performances in local theater. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Megan Jones, 43, was killed around Mother's Day. Her body was found
in a bedroom of her home.
KEYWORDS: MURDER by CNB