NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — The ex-wife of one of the three people shot and killed in a 2023 Newport News shooting is responding to the arrest of a man now facing three counts of first-degree murder.
Police arrested Dimair Jones, 26, and charged him with the murder of three men, including Derek Jones, in Newport News. Dimair Jones is now behind bars and has been denied bond, and Derek Jones’ ex-wife remembered the call she received about the suspect’s arrest.
“I broke down and cried,” Jennifer Jones-Futrell told 10 On Your Side. “Despite the fact that me and Derek were divorced, we were good co-parents. And I’ve always loved him. I will always love him.”
Jones-Futrell said she and Derek Jones were married for 12 years and had three children together. At the time he was killed, their children were ages 9, 11 and 13.
“But to break that to my children and to watch them break down and fall into the floor onto their knees because they were sad, this is the most traumatic thing that they’ve ever been through,” Jones-Futrell said.
Derek Jones, 36, along with Alvin Holiday, 61, and Monroe McGilvary, 60, were gunned down in a home on Stallings Court in Newport News Aug. 8, 2023.
Police said Dimair Jones had been in contact with the victims several times the night of the shooting and said he told a friend that night he was going to see someone who owed him money. Dimair Jones’ car had also been captured on surveillance camera at the house the night of the shooting, according to police.
Jones-Futrell told 10 On Your Side Dimair knew the victims, but didn’t know how they knew each other.
A witness told police the victims were at the house on Stallings Court taking drugs when someone pulled up outside, got into an argument with McGilvary, followed him inside to the garage and shot the three men.
Jones-Futrell said despite his faults, Derek Jones was a good father to his children.
“Even when he wasn’t able to do things, he always made sure he was there for them,” she said. “He came to appointments, he came to meetings at the schools, games, everything.”
Police have linked Dimair Jones’ car to one seen in surveillance video that night, thanks to distinctive marks on the car. In addition to the three first-degree murder charges, he faces gun charges.
Jones-Futrell said she’ll be at every court hearing, looking Dimair Jones in the eye.
“At least he’ll know that I’m always going to stand 10 toes down behind my children’s father,” Jones-Futrell said.
Court documents also say when approached by police, Dimair Jones said he was shocked to hear about the shooting and told police he was pretty sure he was in the hospital that night with his newborn son.
A judge denied him bond.