Back on Valentine’s Day of 2016, Byron Mitchell beat his roommate Danielle Jones so severely it put her into a coma for 24 days. Ms. Jones had placed an ad for a roommate on the Miami craigslist and Mitchell was the first responder. Mitchell is said to have become infatuated with Jones and when she rejected him on Valentine’s Day he brutally assaulted her. It was only a week after Mitchell had moved in. Police even alleged that Mitchell tried to cut off Danielle Jones’ eyelids and lips after she was unconscious. Mitchell tried to claim the attack was in self-defense stating that Jones came at him with a knife.
Earlier this year, Mitchell was convicted of attempted murder. Yesterday, he was sentenced to life in prison. During his sentencing hearing, once again, Mitchell tried to play being the victim by claiming he was bullied as a youth and had mental issues due to a head injury he suffered when he was young. He even tried apologizing to his victim causing her to leave the courtroom.
While justice may have been served, Ms, Jones still suffers from multiple issues stemming from the attack…
“I wanted to go to school for criminal justice and psychiatry and now, I have my 11-year-old brother help me with my math, which was my best subject in school,” Jones told a judge on Monday. “I also used to be able to sing very well. I can’t anymore. I used to be able to dance very well and I can’t anymore.”
“I’m still hopeful that every day I’ll get slowly better but I feel my life has been destroyed.”
If you’re so inclined, Ms. Jones still has a GoFundMe page to help assist her with medical expenses.
Even though this heinous crime was almost 4 years ago, craigslist hasn’t changed. It’s still as full of crazy people as it always was. As I said back in 2016, no matter how you use craigslist it has devolved into the internet’s largest game of Russian Roulette.
(Sources)
CBS Miami
6 South Florida
Miami Herald
Real Crime with Trench Reynolds 