A drug deal, a bloody car and a cash-filled shoe box. What happened to Willie Jones?
Update: Pearl River County Coroner Derek Turnage confirmed July 30 that remains found on Texas Flat Road have been positively identified as missing Picayune man Willie Ray Jones, 28. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds to the body.
Dustin Gray told authorities he was there when first-degree murder suspect Austin Brookshire shot and killed Willie Ray “Chill” Jones in the backseat of Gray’s car, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
Gray had caught up with Jones at his Picayune home around 11 p.m. on July 5 to allegedly give Jones a ride to someone’s home to buy “illegal narcotics or ‘re-up’” Jones’ alleged drug supply.
Gray and others told authorities that it was no secret that Jones was carrying around a lot of money — anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 — on July 5 into the early-morning hours of July 6 when Jones was shot and killed.
Jones kept the money, court papers said, in a shoe box he had with him.
That and other evidence was listed in affidavit outlining the first-degree murder charge against Brookshire during his first court appearance in Pearl River County Justice Court.
A detective went up the podium to quietly read to the judge the allegations in the affidavit, but no one could hear what was being said.
The Sun Herald was later able to obtain the affidavit after making multiple requests.
After hearing the evidence in the case, a judge ordered Brookshire held without bond.
Brookshire, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, said he didn’t work and needed a public defender.
Since Brookshire’s arrest, warrants were issued for Gray’s arrest, also on a first-degree murder charge, and his wife, Erica Gray, is facing a charge of accessory after the fact to murder., Pearl River County Sheriff’s Major Mark Ogden said.
A juvenile was taken into custody Monday as an accessory to murder.
No service here
In the hours after Willie Jones was shot to death, Dustin Gray told authorities he and Brookshire drove to Texas Flat Road in Hancock and disposed of the body.
The remains were found last week, but because of a backlog in cases at the state Medical Examiner’s Office, it could be up to two weeks before the remains are positively identified.
By the afternoon of July 6, the affidavit said, Gray showed up at a car wash in Picayune to get the muddy exterior and the interior of his car cleaned.
Gray was twice refused service after an employee looked inside the vehicle and saw blood between and under the rear passenger seat of Gray’s car along with a couple of shell casings.
The first time the employee refused to clean Gray’s car, Gray attempted to bribe the employee and pulled out two rolls of cash and asked how much it would take to get them to clean up the car.
Gray left the business without any service.
Skipping town
By that afternoon, Gray called a sibling and dropped off his car at the sibling’s home in Harrison County. He had asked his relative to replace the backseat of the car.
But Gray’s dad, attorney James L. “Jim” Gray, found the car and saw blood over the backseat and immediately reported it to authorities.
Gray and his wife, Erica Gray, were listed as people of interest wanted for questioning in Jones’s death, after they left town.
Picayune police said it was obvious the couple had packed up and left their home in a hurry based on what authorities saw when they went to search their home.
Inside, Picayune Assistant Chief Dustin Moeller said, police found an assortment of weapons, including a stolen firearm that paved the way for authorities to get a warrant to arrest Dustin and Erica Gray on a firearms charge.
The couple was picked up during a traffic stop in Pueblo, Colorado, last week. They are being held there on the firearms charge and the additional charges related to the killing pending extradition back to Mississippi.
Both were informed of their new pending charges Tuesday.
An arson investigation
Dustin Gray and Jones had known one another since high school, according to Gray’s father, Picayune attorney James L. “Jim” Gray.
Jim Gray’s law office burned to the ground last week and he had been receiving threats on social media after his son and daughter-in-law were identified as persons of interest in Jones’ disappearance.
Gray told the Sun Herald that he believes people thought he was trying to help his son evade law enforcement, but that was not the case. The attorney said he knows and cares for the Jones family.
A reward is now being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the arson case. To report tips, call the Picayune Police Department 601-798-4682 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.
This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 4:07 PM.
