Donnie Frank Jones, Jr, 37, of Tullahoma, TN was arrested this afternoon after a search warrant at his home revealed the convicted felon was in possession of a firearm. The elementary school which is also on Bel Air Drive, was in lockdown this afternoon during the search.
Jones is the prime suspect in the brutal murder of Megan Sharpton, and is linked to her death via a CODIS match as previously reported on BOC.
Details are still emerging, check back to www.blinkoncrime.com for updates.
Friday evening September 7, the rival High School football game of Tullahoma vs. Coffee County Central (Manchester) was beginning.
The Raiders lost 31-21.
What was also underway, was the willful approach by a known suspect in the sexual assault and brutal murder of Megan Sharpton to a member of Megan’s family.
Blink On Crime is intentionally withholding the identity of the suspect as identified in the police report.
The Sharpton family member was aware of the suspects status, and requested assistance at the scene from Tullahoma Police.
The suspect was asked to leave the scene by multiple members of law enforcement.
A response to a request by Blink On Crime for the incident report revealed the report has not been filed yet, but is in process.
Kelly Sharpton, Mother of Megan Sharpton, met with media in the Chattanooga area this afternoon following her most recent failed requests to seek the indictment of Megan’s alleged suspect through District General Attorney J. Michael Taylor.
Chattanooga has not been a high coverage market for Megan’s case, but it is an essential constituent region for Robert Cooper, the Attorney General of Tennesse, whose duties include:
Law Enforcement and Special Prosecutions Division
Handles criminal prosecutions of securities fraud, public corruption and environmental law violations
Assists the district attorneys general in the prosecution similar types of white collar crime cases
Handles other types of civil enforcement actions, such as forfeiture
Defends the district attorneys general and other law enforcement agencies in actions for injunctions, and to obtain access to investigative and prosecution files
Erika Megan Sharpton, called Megan by her family and friends set out the evening of July 1 to interview for a new job on her only day off.
At 24, Megan was committed to her education in her nursing program and she was anxious to secure a position in line with her studies and gain some relevant experience.
Facebook Photo
Megan’s partially charred remains were discovered by a motorist at 1:18AM the morning of July 2, 2012 while observing what he thought was a holiday brush fire. Megan was doused with gasoline and set ablaze very shortly before.
Mercifully, she was deceased by that time and investigators believe she met her end somewhere else. The reporter of the grass fire who backed up twice into the gravel pull off area for a closer look identity has not been released.
Finding Megan was the start of the discovery of a deadly lure by a man who is no stranger to the law, and investigators know his identity.
Speaking on the sole condition of anonymity, a source has confirmed to www.blinkoncrime.com that Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Franklin County Sheriffs Department (FCSD) and law enforcement personnel from surrounding Coffee and Bedford counties have identified a suspect based on a forensic match to evidence found at the scene.
The starry and promising young woman who used to donate items and volunteer for programs that support the underprivileged and homeless was beaten, sexually assaulted and burned from her nude waist down. While several reports of her cause of death indicate blunt force trauma, investigators have not released additional details that would likely only be known to the suspect.
S. Christina Stoy, Editor In Chief, reached Kelly Hale Sharpton earlier today and asked the bereaved mother if she had been given the information about a DNA match to a suspect.
..”The FCPD has asked that we do not discuss any of the case sensitive details publicly so I cannot address your question directly. I will say that I met with the prosecutor Michael Taylor and expressed my great concern that an arrest be made immediately based on information I was told. He declined and I showed him a picture of Megan and I and told him he could not allow this to happen to someone else and this was Megan’s way of stopping this and I am frustrated with the decision to wait for an indictment of the man who murdered my child. Chief Fuller and Det Chris Guess have been a phenomenal support and I trust them without reservation and I believe they are equally frustrated..”
Megan had two star tattoos on her neck to honor her siblings, as well as three others. She had refused a potential job offer last Fall because her sister was expecting and she was concerned that she would have to leave immediately if she were to go into labor.
When Megan’s mother Kelly saw a post on facebook about the woman found at the base of the bridge had star tattoos, she immediately knew it was her child.
Megan fought her attacker like a banshee. A t 5’9″ banshee was no match. (more…)
