BROWNSVILLE, Tennessee — A mother never made it home from a routine drop-off. And the man responsible will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Jermis Jones, 44, was sentenced in Haywood County Circuit Court to life in prison plus 34 years for the first-degree murder of Perish Tyus — the mother of his child.
What happened that December afternoon
On Dec. 18, 2022, Tyus drove to the paternal grandmother’s home to drop off the 4-year-old son she shared with Jones.
She had no idea Jones was already there, lying in wait.
Her cousin was in the passenger seat. Her young son was buckled into his car seat in the back.
Jones walked up to the vehicle and shot Tyus four times, killing her instantly.
One bullet struck the passenger side of the car. Another was found lodged in the door directly next to the child’s car seat.
The little boy was just feet away when his mother was killed.
He ran — but didn’t get far
After the shooting, Jones fled the scene, ditched the murder weapon, and hid inside a carport storage closet nearby.
That is where officers found him. He made threats toward responding officers when they moved in to arrest him.
Jury wasted no time
Jones’s trial lasted only two days in November. The jury found him guilty on every single count — including first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence, and multiple firearm-related charges.
He had also previously been convicted of three separate drug felonies.
What the DA had to say
District Attorney Frederick H. Agee said his office’s thoughts go out to Tyus’s family.
He called it “a senseless, violent act by an ex-domestic partner” and noted that unless Jones wins an appeal, he will never walk free again.
“The community is safer for that,” Agee added.
Domestic violence continues to devastate families across the country. Do you think the sentence was just? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
