Transcript

Lesbian love triangle ends with jealous murder of an ex-boyfriend

From True Crime News · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 39 min · 6,406 words · 169 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Lesbian love triangle ends with jealous murder of an ex-boyfriend", an episode of True Crime News published January 9, 2026 (39 min, about 6,406 words). It mentions 12 people, works and ideas, including Eric Jones, Aaron Everett, Tori Minnik, Janina Jefferson, Crime Watch Daily.

What this episode is about

A deadly love triangle emerges when a churchgoing nurse finds herself torn between her passionate relationship with her girlfriend and lingering feelings for her ex-boyfriend, leading to jealousy-fueled murder. Amidst a backdrop of deceit, emotional turmoil, and brutal crime, the investigation reveals shocking secrets and unexpected suspects surrounding the case.

Key takeaways

  • A toxic love triangle: when jealousy intersects with passion, even love can become a lethal weapon.
  • In a small town, scandal brews under a veneer of upright living—true crime often thrives behind closed doors.
  • A mother’s acceptance pushed to the brink; love doesn't always come wrapped in familial support or understanding.
  • The real 'surprise' attacker? It's often the one you'd least expect—familiarity can cloak the darkest intentions.
  • In a world of social media 'likes,' real-life jealousy can still spark deadly confrontations, proving love is thorny.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Crime Watch Daily, Aaron Everett, Tori Minnik, Chris Hansen
  2. – 10:00: Aaron Everett, Tori Minnik, Cody Donaldson, Jerome, Pennsylvania
  3. – 15:00: Cody Donaldson, Aaron Everett, Tori Minnik
  4. – 25:00: Virginia, Aaron Everett, Janina Jefferson, Eric Jones
  5. – 30:00: Eric Jones, Janina Jefferson, Virginia
  6. – 35:00: Eric Jones, Virginia, Janina Jefferson, Appalachia Water Treatment Plant
  7. – 39:10: Eric Jones, Crime Watch Daily

Notable quotes from "Lesbian love triangle ends with jealous murder of an ex-boyfriend"

  • I'm Chris Hansen. Right now on Crime Watch Daily from here in New York City, two girls, a guy, and a murder.
    about Crime Watch Daily · at
  • Welcome to Crime Watch Daily, everyone.
    about Chris Hansen · at
  • But Tori had a few things in common with Aaron. She liked the nursing field and it was good a good field for her to go into. She was wellliked, well thought of, had a good family life.
    about Tori Minnik · at
  • Minnik even got married. And their 9-month relationship had deteriorated so badly that Aaron was reportedly showing signs of being physically abused by Tori.
    about Aaron Everett · at
  • Aaron's mother had gotten a frantic phone call from her daughter and rushed home to find her sitting in blood stained clothes, hysterical beside her lover's body.
    about Jerome, Pennsylvania · at
  • Thanksgiving weekend at chilly Sunday night at the water treatment plant in Appalachia Virginia.
    about Virginia · at
  • Janina was a hard worker and her priority was these kids. So every everything that she did was centered around those children.
    about Janina Jefferson · at
  • Eric Jones, her husband. But could it be? He was the son of a pastor from a prominent family in town. He tried to be a second father to her or three kids, but now he was wanted for questioning.
    about Eric Jones · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Eric Jones — Person · Primary suspect/fugitive (second case) · 17 mentions · first at
    Key figure in the Virginia case: husband/ex-husband of Janina Jefferson, wanted for questioning/charged contextually as the likely killer and described as a fugitive with a serious criminal past.
  • Aaron Everett — Person · Primary subject (perpetrator/fiancée in homicide case) · 9 mentions · first at
    Central figure in the first case: a nurse who confessed to killing her fiancée Tori Minnik and was convicted of first-degree murder.
  • Tori Minnik — Person · Primary subject (victim/fiancée in homicide case) · 6 mentions · first at
    Victim in the first case; her relationships with Aaron Everett and Cody Donaldson form the love triangle that motivates the homicide narrative.
  • Janina Jefferson — Person · Victim (second case) · 4 mentions · first at
    Murder victim in Virginia; her death triggers the manhunt narrative focused on Eric Jones and provides motive/background through their relationship and divorce.
  • Cody Donaldson — Person · Initially suspected perpetrator / love-triangle participant · 5 mentions · first at
    Tori Minnik’s ex-fiancé and secret lover; initially the prime suspect due to jealousy but later ruled out via alibi, shaping the investigation toward Aaron Everett.
    Cody was jealous of their relationship.
  • Chris Hansen — Person · Host / main presenter · 2 mentions · first at
    Introduces and narrates the Crime Watch Daily segments, framing both cases and transitioning between stories.

Places & events

  • Virginia — Place · Setting · 7 mentions · first at
    The location where the murder of Janina Jefferson took place.
  • Appalachia Water Treatment Plant — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at
    The location where Janina Jefferson was murdered.
    Thanksgiving weekend at chilly Sunday night at the water treatment plant in Appalachia Virginia.
  • Jerome, Pennsylvania — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at
    The location where Aaron Everett and Tori Minnik lived and where the murder took place.
  • Meersdale, Pennsylvania — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    The hometown of Tori Minnik where she visited family and friends.
    Tori had also been spending weekends away from Aaron, visiting family and friends in her nearby hometown of Meersdale Pennsylvania.
  • Big Stone Gap — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    The hometown of Janina Jefferson.
    Their innocent victim, single mother of three, Janina Jefferson, a larger than-l life personality from nearby Big Stone Gap.

Media & podcasts

  • Crime Watch Daily — Media · Main speaker · 6 mentions · first at
    The media outlet covering the murder cases discussed in the transcript.

Full transcript with timestamps

I'm Chris Hansen. Right now on Crime Watch Daily from here in New York City, two girls, a guy, and a murder.

And there was blood everywhere. A churchgoing nurse winds up at the center of a toxic love triangle.

Cody was jealous of their relationship. A secret affair, a brutal crime, an intruder in a black mask.

This murder was emotionally charged. A Crime Watch daily mystery with a merrygo round of suspects.

I'm going to stop you right there because that's a lie. Then a chilling discovery in the mountains of Virginia. The body of a woman outside her workplace riddled with bullets.

She was surprised by her attacker. Who would murder this hardworking single mother of three? Everything that she did was centered around those children.

Surveillance video captures a man on the run. The last man anyone would suspect as an assassin.

His mom is a pastor. He was so caring toward her and so sweet. Today, Mrs. Jones, I'm here about your son, Eric Jones.

Crime Watch Daily joins the manhunt and his mystery motive. We're going to find him and we're going to bring him to justice

right now. Go. Let's go. Jason Mata with Crime Watch Daily. I'm Michelle Sagona from Crime Watch Daily.

This Elizabeth Smart from Crime Watch Daily. It's Anna Garcia from Crime Watch Daily. You got anything to say?

Is Crime Watch Daily. What do you mean you don't know? She's 13. You're running away now.

Welcome to Crime Watch Daily, everyone. I'm Chris Hansen. We start today with a story of love and jealousy. Two powerful emotions that can make you do just about anything and in some cases even kill. Anna Garcia has more on what happened in the basement.

Aaron loves her new girlfriend. Tori was the love of her life. Aaron asked Tori to marry her,

but Tori still loves her exboyfriend. Now her secret lover. So Tori was living a double life.

And this hotwired love triangle is about to short circuit and leave one of them dead.

There was blood everywhere. It was just shocking. I mean, it just shocking. Jerome, Pennsylvania is an ultraconservative small town.

Don't see that up here that much. Among the 10,000 residents, 25-year-old Aaron Everett

grew up in a very regimented, strictly, staunchly religious family. Much to the delight of her proud mother, Patricia. She was brought up in church, went to church every Sunday, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. And when other girls her age were partying their way through spring and summer breaks, Aaron was helping teach Bible classes.

Her social activities were were through the church. She was very limited in what she did and what she allowed herself to become engaged in.

Growing up to be a nurse, caring for the elderly at a local nursing home. by all accounts was, you know, just a nice girl

who was planning on getting married and having a family. She didn't date a lot, but she had dated a young man uh that she had met through the church. And at one point, they had become engaged,

but Aaron wouldn't make it to the altar. Aaron determined that that wasn't what she was or or who she was and broke that engagement. She broke the engagement off because she knew it wouldn't work because she obviously didn't like boys.

Patricia was shocked and angry. And of course, as a Christian mother, I exploded. I'm like, what do you mean you like girls? I was very upset and and tried to tell her, you know, you know, that's not right.

Aaron pleaded with Patricia for understanding. I can't really say I accepted it. I loved my daughter and of course would always be there for her no matter what happened. And Patricia's tolerance would be put to the test when Aaron met Tori Minnik, a fellow nurse who worked the night shift with her.

Tori Minnik was uh quite the quite the opposite of Aaron. Uh Tori was very outgoing, uh very popular, very self- assured.

But Tori had a few things in common with Aaron. She liked the nursing field and it was good a good field for her to go into. She was wellliked, well thought of, had a good family life.

Like Aaron, Tori had just broken up with a boyfriend she was engaged to marry. They started talking. They started getting to know each other. Aaron was fast falling in love with Tori. She thought she was very pretty, very nice. They got along really well at the beginning. They were happy. They were uh laughed all the time. They joked all the time. It was like Tori allowed her to be herself. She could be who she really was with Tori and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her.

Aaron asked Tori to marry her and Tori said yes. So Aaron got her a ring. Then the two decided they wanted to live together and Aaron actually asked her mother if Tori could move in with the family. at first said no,

but a horrified Patricia eventually agreed after Aaron threatened to move out. In order to keep her in my life and know where she was, I left them stay there at the house. They stayed in the basement. The only time they came upstairs was to take a shower or get food.

Little did Patricia know, her daughter and Tori were starting to have problems. There were arguments and fights over money and a relationship and Aaron was about to make a heartbreaking discovery that the love of her life was being unfaithful to her. Next, remember Tori's ex-boyfriend? He's back and the fiery passions of a tangled love triangle boil over, leaving one of the three Starcross lovers shot and beaten to death with a claw hammer.

I just started crying and I thought I was going to throw up. I said, "I'm going to throw up. I'm going to throw up."

And the surviving two are each suspected of being the murderer. I remember saying, "There is no way. There is no way." Now, back to our top story of the day. In the basement, nurses Erin Everett and Tory Minnik weren't just co-workers, they were also lovers. Hannah Garcia is back now with more of their story.

Chris, as quickly as the two women fell in love, a betrayal would turn their intense passion into immense anger, and one of them would turn up dead. The honeymoon was over before Aaron Everett and her living fiance Tori Minnik even got married. And their 9-month relationship had deteriorated so badly that Aaron was reportedly showing signs of being physically abused by Tori.

She had a black eye, bloody lip one time. She had the bruises on her back. She actually had to go to the doctor for that. Aaron's mother, Patricia, actually witnessed something alarming in the basement room of her Jerome, Pennsylvania home where the two young lovers lived. Tori had Aaron in a chokeold, but they told Patricia they were just fooling around. And I didn't think anything about it because Aaron had never said anything to me about the abuse. Tori had also been spending weekends away from Aaron, visiting family and friends in her nearby hometown of Meersdale Pennsylvania.

Among them, 24year-old Cody Donaldson, the fiance Tori had broken up with before meeting Aaron. They knew each other since kindergarten. Judy Ellish of the local newspaper, The Daily American, says they had an on-again, off-again romance that lasted through high school and right up to the time of their engagement. They would argue and they both were bullheaded.

But now they were on again with Cody reportedly wanting Aaron out of the picture. He didn't want them to be together and he didn't want Tori to be in a lesbian relationship. He wanted her to be with him. Aaron's mom says a furious Cody once even stormed into the nursing home where the two nurses worked.

Cody showed up one night and uh threatened Aaron to stay away from Tori. But Tori is said to have wanted the best of both worlds.

So Tori was living a double life. She was with Aaron when she was in Jerome and when she would go home to Myersdale, she was with Cody,

now her secret lover. and apparently kept it quiet for Aaron. And then it happened. A brutal attack leaving Tori lying dead in the basement room she shared with Aaron from two gunshot wounds to her head. Her skull had also been bashed in with a claw hammer. The crime scene was very bloody and very violent.

She was totally naked. She had a a sheet or blanket covering the top of her head, blood all over the bed.

Aaron's mother had gotten a frantic phone call from her daughter and rushed home to find her sitting in blood stained clothes, hysterical beside her lover's body.

Aaron had blood all over her and they weren't sure if it was her blood or whose blood it was. Aaron was just crying and saying, "Why did they take her from me? Why did they take her from me?" Aaron would tell her mother as well as police at the crime scene that an intruder had broken into the house while she and Tori were both sleeping. It was a male and he had a black mask and he had a hammer. And he was saying to Tori, "You're coming with me. You're coming with me." And she was saying, "No, no, no." And Aaron said that she was trying to help, you know, to get this man away from Tori.

Aaron said that uh this man actually tried to tie her feet and hands together to get her away so that he could either hurt Tori or take Tori with him.

She said he said, "I come for Tori, not for you before shooting and beating Tori to death." the nature of the murder, the gunshot wounds to the head and then the bludgeoning with a hammer, it indicates to at least me that this murder was emotionally charged.

Aaron said she couldn't recognize the killer's face, but had an idea who it might be. She described a man that has the same physical appearance as Cody,

saying he fled in a green truck just like Cody owned. So, it all sort of pointed to Cody,

complete with motive. Aaron indicated that Cody was jealous of their relationship.

Ultimately, that's what led to to the investigators pinpointing Mr. Donaldson as a suspect in this murder.

Cody was their prime suspect and police had located and questioned him within hours of the murder.

They took him in for questioning and they were asking him all kind of questions about where he was, you know, what he was doing, his relationship with Aaron, his relationship with Tori. But Cody vehemently denied killing Tori out of jealousy, telling investigators he didn't even know her relationship with Aaron was romantic.

Cody Donaldson was led to believe that Aaron Everett was simply a roommate. We reached out to Cody, but he declined to be interviewed. Now, detectives turn their attention to others who might have had a motive to kill Tori.

You're not a killer, are you? No, I've never The only thing I've ever seen was fish.

Next, police uncover a suspected fourth player in this deadly love triangle. We're investigating this homicide. Right. If you have any knowledge of this, I need you to tell me that. Now

to the conclusion of our story in the basement. Here's Anna Garcia. Tori Minnik has been shot and beaten to death with a clawhammer. Police originally suspected Tori's former fiance and now secret lover, Cody Donaldson, but Cody had a rock solid alibi, telling cops he was working at his job on a loading dock at the time of Tori's murder.

The investigators were able to confirm that through his employer as well as other employees. And detectives were convinced Cody had nothing to do with the crime.

He was pretty quickly ruled out as a suspect. So now they take a closer look at Aaron Everett, Tori's fiance, the third player in this love triangle and the only one who was with her when she was murdered.

Hey Aaron, how are you? How are you? Good. This time, detectives have brought in Aaron to the station where she appears to be in shock, curled up under a blanket, shivering as they question her about the story she told them at the scene of the crime. That Tori had been murdered by a masked intruder while she and Tori were asleep.

I heard the gunshots. Two gunshots. Two. Yes. And unaware detectives have already ruled out Cody as a suspect, Aaron trips herself up when she continues to point the finger of blame at her love rival.

Why do you think he may have been involved in it? Because he didn't like her being with me. He knew that she was gay and he didn't like it and he wanted her to move back in with him.

Detectives suddenly flipped the switch on Aaron, turning up the heat. They now suspect Aaron is trying to frame Cody for a murder she committed herself.

This person that you're saying came into the house, it clearly did not happen like that. Okay.

Now, what we've established already is that you're not telling us the truth. Detectives move in for the kill, telling Aaron the crime scene evidence tells a different story than the lie she's telling them.

That did not happen. Okay. One of the biggest clues, a shattered window through which Aaron says the intruder must have entered the house, but detectives have found it had actually been broken from the inside, not the outside.

Well, I don't think someone else came into the house. Aaron, listen. We're be we're past that point now, okay?

There's three people in this room and all three of us know what happened to Tori. Okay,

we have all the pieces. We just can't put the puzzle together 100%. Detectives urge Aaron to tell them the truth.

If you're involved in this, we need you to tell us that right now. Okay. What is your involvement in this?

I was just there. I was just laying in bed with her. That's all. But after being confronted with more incriminating evidence, Aaron finally cracks, confessing that she broke the window herself as part of her cover story for Tori's murder.

At what point did it get so bad that you had to shoot her? Aaron tells detectives she was heartbroken and insanely jealous after learning Tori was cheating on her with her ex Cody.

And how did you know that she was still sleeping with Cody? Because he told me. But Aaron says the breaking point came when she found text between Tori and Cody, revealing that the woman she loved was planning on leaving her to live with him.

What did you do? I was just sitting downstairs thinking. Where were you sitting?

On the bed. On the bed beside her while she was sleeping. Yeah, she slept the whole time.

What were you thinking about? Thinking about how much I wanted to be with her. And that if she couldn't have Tori, nobody would. So then you you said that you went upstairs and got the gun,

right? A 357 Magnum from her father's gun collection. Then I took it downstairs and I shot her once.

And where did you shoot her the first time? Um in the head. But Tori was still alive

and then she was then I saw her again. And when she still didn't die, Aaron says she picked up a claw hammer lying nearby to finish her off.

How many times did you hit her with a hammer? I think twice. And where did you hit her at?

Like in the face area. Why'd you hit her with a hammer? Because Because she was gurgling and obviously she was suffering. But detectives still haven't heard the full story. And to their own surprise, they'd learn there was a fourth player in this tragic love triangle. Bill N, who was engaged to one of Aaron's cousins.

He told me how to load the gun, how to pull a trigger. Aaron tells detectives N had texted her shooting instructions, fully aware she had murder in mind. know that you were going to do it today?

Yeah. And how did he know that? But they pulled him um yesterday. I was thinking about it.

And N admits it when detectives bring him to the station for a grilling. So what you're telling me is you get numerous texts from Aaron who says that she's going to shoot Tori.

Mhm. And you dismiss that. Yes, sir. Then you get more texts asking how to load a gun.

Yes, sir. And instead of dismissing that or telling her, you know, maybe you ought to think about it, your question is, well, what kind of gun is it? Correct.

Yes, sir. So then you ask her to send you a picture of the gun. Yes, sir. But N claims he didn't believe Aaron was serious until after she'd actually murdered Tori. I swear to God, right hand up. I did not know she was really going to do it. I thought she was just and that was it.

Detectives don't buy it, but give N a choice. You can either be a good witness or you can be a good suspect. And when he agrees to testify against Aaron in return for reduced charges, the prosecution believes it can prove Tori's killing was premeditated and convict Aaron of firstdegree murder, which carries the death penalty. I remember saying, "There is no way. There is no way." And I just, you know, started crying and I thought I was going to throw up. Nobody is more shocked than Aaron's heartbroken mother, Patricia, who says she could never have imagined her very religious daughter committing such a heinous crime.

Aaron is not capable of something like that. She's not. She is not that. She's not an evil mean person. She's not.

In fact, Aaron's defense attorney, Brent Peek, would argue that Tori's killing was an uncharacteristic crime of passion. I believe that it was premeditated, but I believe that that premeditation w was a result of something outside of Aaron Ever's control.

PC would claim the savage murder was triggered by battered women's syndrome, that Aaron had simply snapped after being emotionally and physically abused by Tori. But the judge rules there is insufficient evidence of abuse to introduce at her trial. So, we weren't permitted to present that testimony of the possibility that these syndromes did exist.

And Aaron Everett would be convicted of the firstdegree murder of Tori Minnik and sentenced to life without parole.

It's unfortunate and it's it's sad for everybody that's involved. It's sad for both families who have suffered a loss here

in a tragedy that Aaron's mother says she will never fully understand. How could this have happened? What could have got her to this point that she could have done something horrendous like this?

Aaron Everett's attorneys have filed several appeals, but so far all have been denied. As for Bill Ner, the guy who gave Aaron instructions on how to use a gun and turn prosecution witness, he was sentenced to time served some 40 days in jail on conspiracy to commit homicide. Coming up, a small town single mother of three marries the pastor's son.

He was so caring toward her and so sweet. But when she's found dead, some are wondering if he pulled the trigger.

Everyone is so special. The house fire that may provide some answers. Some things you you just don't shake off.

That's next. Our next story today is in Virginia. And that's where our Michelle Siggon has all new details on the hunt for a murder suspect.

Chris, today we're teaming up with the Wise County Sheriff's Office and the United States Marshall Service and hopes our viewers at home can finally help them catch a dangerous fugitive.

A vicious murder in the mountains. She was shot multiple times. Then the depraved assassin goes on the run.

He's a stone code killer. Who brutally gunned down the unsuspecting victim and why? Thanksgiving weekend at chilly Sunday night at the water treatment plant in Appalachia Virginia. Around 2:00 a.m., police are called to the plant to do a welfare check on the overnight employee. When investigators arrive, their headlights shine on a shocking scene. A woman is found lying on the cold gravel driveway dead. She was shot multiple times.

Detective Dwayne Phillips tells our Michelle Sigona the killer made no attempt to hide the body.

The officer makes his drive up here, pulls up, and where is her body? It's laying here in the sling here in the middle of the open

and she had been shot multiple times. Uh indications that we have is she was shot at fairly close range

and investigators believe her killer was lying in weight. Do you believe the killer was lurking somewhere around this property?

Based on the evidence that we've seen, uh, she was surprised by her attacker. Their innocent victim, single mother of three, Janina Jefferson, a larger than-l life personality from nearby Big Stone Gap.

She was always laughing. Her laugh was electrifying. She was a loyal friend. Oh gosh. Janina would tell you the truth no matter what. Uh, if you didn't like it, well, that's just too bad. She shot from the hip. She didn't play games. She'd tell you she loved you at the end of it.

38-year-old Janina was a jack of all trades. She worked the evening shift at the Appalachia Water Treatment Plant.

She loved the water plant. She really did. This was a job that she had wanted for for a long time.

And she had a creative side. I love art. I always have. She painted store windows around town and had a design your own glass business. all to provide a good life for her two sons and daughter.

Janina was a hard worker and her priority was these kids. So every everything that she did was centered around those children.

Then Janita met a man. I remember her being really excited and telling me that she had something going on and and I begged her to tell me what it was and she said, "No, I'll tell you if it works out."

And work out it did. his name Eric Jones and he came from one of the town's well-known and respected families.

Do you think his family was attractive to her? The fact that his mom is a pastor and he seems to come from a big support system.

Sure. His mom is a wonderful woman, very sincere, a godly woman. Before long, Janina and Eric were head over heels. They were always laughing and cutting up and um and the way they looked at each other. Janina really loved him and I really feel like he loved her. He was so caring toward her and so sweet

and sweet towards Janina's kids too. For the couple, it was all good. Eric was going to be the new man of the house. But first, their wedding.

Who was at the wedding? Oh my gosh, it was packed. Who wasn't at the wedding? It was absolutely beautiful. It seemed like these were two people who were meant to be together.

Absolutely. Now, tragically, Janina was gone. And with no video surveillance at the water treatment plant, cops start at square one. They're interested in talking with everyone close to Janina.

Everyone's a suspect. Coming up, Janina's family is shocked when cops zero in on their prime suspect, her husband.

There is some video of him. He's caught on camera, but now he's gone. Where is Eric Jones, and what does his secret past reveal? We're back now with more on the murder of a mother of three in Virginia. Police would like to question her ex-husband to find out if he knows who may have wanted her dead, but there's one very big problem with that. Janina Jefferson is dead. Shot multiple times outside her job at the water treatment plant.

Did you find the gun? Gun has not been located. Cops tell our Michelle Sigona they're looking at a number of people, but one person tops their list.

Everyone's a suspect, but we went where the evidence led us to and it led us back to Eric.

Eric Jones, her husband. But could it be? He was the son of a pastor from a prominent family in town. He tried to be a second father to her or three kids, but now he was wanted for questioning.

I can place him in the area prior to the murder and also after the murder. But how? There is some video of him at a local convenience store.

Investigators say right after the murder, they have Eric Jones on surveillance walking into this convenience store. What does the convenience store video show you? shows Eric Jones walk in um get a six-ack of beer out of the cooler, another small item and pay for it and then leave the store

as if going to go home and watch the game or you know watch TV. Didn't seem like he was upset or you know there was no indicators that anything had just happened.

Turns out Eric Jones was a wolf in sheep's clothing. He's got a wrap sheet a mile long.

What did you think about her with a convicted felon? She told me the story, but she also told me things are different now. Let's give him a chance. You got to give him a chance. And I thought, okay, if if you're going to, so am I.

His history of crimes serious. Attempted murder for hire. That's right. Attempted murder for hire.

Who was he trying to kill? He was trying to kill a mother and her two children. Was he the one who was contracted to do the killing?

Yes. The intended target, Karen Martin. So, you were a single mom? Yes. How old were your children? They were seven and eight.

And she knew her attempted assassin. He was friends with my cousins and you know, I I hung around them.

Karen says she and her two kids went to sleep one night and woke up to an inferno. I called 911 and told him. I said, "My house is on fire."

Wise County Sheriff's investigator Charles Curry was one of the first on the scene.

You pull up to a single family home. It's on fire. It's engulfed in flames and you get reports that there are people possibly trapped inside.

Yes. We made entry through the front door. We could hear screams in the back. Myself and this other officer, we made our way to the back bedroom and that's where we found all three occupants.

You saved her and her children's life that night. That was our job. Is this really the first time you've recounted this in a long time?

Yeah, definitely. Why is this so emotional for you? Well, just like anybody, when you have kids involved that you have kids of your own, you can relate. Some things you you just don't shake off.

Investigators antennas go up when they smell gasoline inside the home and find spent matches outside on Karen's car, which had also been doused with the accelerant.

It led us to believe, hey, we've got a problem here. Did Karen have any known enemies? It was determined that she did and um it came out it was a murder for hire case. It was determined that there was two individuals who were paid with crack cocaine to burn that residence with those three people in it. Eric Jones was one of the suspects involved. Eric was not arrested immediately cuz he went on the run. Then two months later, Eric Jones luck came to a screeching halt when he was pulled over for a traffic violation in Texas some 1300 miles away. Wise County Assistant Sheriff Grant Kilgore spent 4 days in a car with Eric, transporting him back to Virginia.

What did he say to you during that time? He said very little. He slept most of the time. He seemed very unconcerned about the charges he was facing.

Did he seem remorseful? Not at all. Eric Jones was indicted on seven felony charges, including three counts of attempted capital murder for hire. He eventually pleaded guilty to two felony charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He served five.

Was there any point in all this where you forgave him for what he did to you? His mother had told me that he was sorry for what he did, but he never personally told me. I mean, you have to forgive. is something that I'll never forget.

So, Janina knew about Eric's brutal past, but was willing to look the other way. She loved him, wanted to be with him and believed he had changed in the 15 years since he'd committed that awful crime.

It seems like she saw the good in everyone. She did. And you know what? And and when I met him, he was the the nicest guy ever. Like if you had to write down things in a and check them off about somebody being reformed or whatever, he fits that. He did a lot of things for the community, a lot of things at church.

It seemed like he had turned a new leaf. I believe that and she forgave him. Yes.

But two years later, the cracks in the foundation began to show. April says the beginning of the end started at a Fourth of July party. She said that Eric had shot a gun off at at the block party and you know he wasn't supposed to have a gun. So she was really upset about it.

At what point do they separate? I think she tried one more time after that with some hesitation that they were going to stay together and then the next thing I know she's just she's crying every day and saying, "All right, that's it. I got I can't I can't do it anymore." Janina filed for divorce and the day it was finalized.

There was an incident where he attempted to allegedly strangle her. She told me that he came to the water plant and she said things just got out of hand and that she felt like she needed to get a restraining order.

Eric Jones was arrested for strangulation and trespassing. A judge let him out on bail.

Did she come to you and say, "I'm afraid for my safety because he's tell me that one time." She said, "I've got a gun." and she said, "I feel like I need that for my protection." And she said, "I'm I'm really scared." I said to her because I had seen the good side of things. I said, "Jannina, don't worry. It's going to be okay."

But tragically, it wouldn't be okay. Janina is now dead and Eric Jones is on the run again. Coming up, we try to get answers.

Mrs. Jones, I'm here about your son, Eric Jones. They say you can't help who you fall in love with. And for one Virginia woman, that certainly was the case. Little did she know at the time she would be walking down the aisle straight into the arms of a killer. Eric Jones is on the run. He's a monster in my eyes.

Hiding out after allegedly gunning down his ex-wife Jannina Jefferson outside her job at the Appalachia Water Treatment Plant.

We have evidence. we feel is overwhelming evidence against Harry. The manhunt is on. Cops start searching in the secluded areas surrounding the water plant.

We did ground searches, vehicle searches, then we actually brought in choppers on three different occasions and then a specially equipped airplane that has some of the most sensitive photography available. Flew all those areas that we possibly could with that device. There was no indication that Eric was in any of those areas where there was a body or you know there hiding out in a cabin or tent.

No sign of Eric Jones anywhere. But Jones has had practice running. He's done it before. Last time he managed to elude capture for a couple of months.

He hasn't changed at all. No. Not a be it. Jones may be enjoying his freedom right now, but cops tell our Michelle Sagona one of his buddies, Jacob Roland, isn't as lucky.

You've made one arrest so far. Yes, we have an associate of Eric Jones. And this person may have allegedly helped him prior to and after the incident. Is that correct?

Correct. Part of his charge was the fact that he did transport him to the scene where Janine was murdered. Do you believe it's possible there could be other people out there who may have assisted him?

I believe that there is. Yes. Has his family been cooperative? I have spoken to his mother, god-fearing lady. She has been devastated by what has occurred and I feel that she's being cooperative with us as as much as she can.

We wanted to talk to Jones's mom, Pastor Sandra Jones, to see what she knows about her son's whereabouts. This is the neighborhood where Eric Jones has the most contacts. In fact, his own mother lives right here. This is the truck he used to drive. We have no idea if Eric Jones's mother or any of his family members have been in contact with him, but we thought we would knock on the door just to see if we could find out. Mrs. Jones, Michelle Sigona here from Crime Watch Daily. I'm here about your son, Eric Jones.

Doesn't appear anyone's home right now. Now, as Jones is so far walking free, Janina's eldest son, Trey, says he and his siblings are left to deal with what cops believe Jones savagely took from them.

Are you angry? I was for a long time. Yeah. What are you feeling right now? I don't know. I uh I do have closure. I don't let it eat at me every day just cuz I know that she's in a better place. I don't want to say that I'm looking forward to being there, but I just knowing that my mom's watching me.

Jenna's friend April Hall is still in shock that her friend is gone. Sometimes it's just hard to breathe. This really happened

and she's haunted by the advice she gave her. telling her, "Hey, don't worry. It's going to be okay." And um gosh, that that's the hardest thing for me. Every day I just I think, "Why did I say that to her? Why did I say it was going to be okay?" Because obviously it wasn't okay.

Even cops are deeply affected by this heinous crime. It's been the hardest part for you about all of this. In the sense of the murder is this family lose no loved one. And then in the sense of him not in custody is he's out there walking free while this family suffers.

It's not fair. Give me a minute. It's been almost a year since Eric Jones went on the lamp and the US Marshall Service has made this case a priority.

In the the realm of fugitive cases we work, this has been moved up to a major case for the US Marshall Service, which means extra resources, extra financial assistance, extra eyes, extra invest in investigators. And Crime Watch Daily has joined the hunt, helping law enforcement get the word out to everyone watching.

Eric Jones is very charismatic and he can cross all social boundaries from street level gang members to church members to people who have status within the their communities and is well liked by those people.

Do you think he could be dating multiple women? He is very busy in that category. He likes women and and multiple women. Somebody is is dating him somewhere.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Lesbian love triangle ends with jealous murder of an ex-boyfriend"?

Chris Hansen (Host), Anna Garcia (Guest), Michelle Sigona (Guest), Patricia Everett (Guest), Cody Donaldson (Guest), Eric Jones (Guest), Bill N (Guest).

What is "Lesbian love triangle ends with jealous murder of an ex-boyfriend" about?

A deadly love triangle emerges when a churchgoing nurse finds herself torn between her passionate relationship with her girlfriend and lingering feelings for her ex-boyfriend, leading to jealousy-fueled murder. Amidst a backdrop of deceit, emotional turmoil, and brutal crime, the investigation reveals shocking secrets and unexpected suspects surrounding the case.

What is mentioned in this True Crime News episode?

12 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Eric Jones, Aaron Everett, Tori Minnik, Janina Jefferson, Crime Watch Daily, Cody Donaldson. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Lesbian love triangle ends with jealous murder of an ex-boyfriend"?

The episode runs 39 min; the transcript is about 6,406 words in 169 timestamped sections.

More from True Crime News

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.