FL Man Who Planned Poison Death For Ex Sentenced To Prison

ORLANDO, FL — A Florida man who planned to kill his former partner using a biological toxin inside a water gun was sentenced to 10 years in prison this week, authorities announced.

Kevin Deane Jones, 50, of Kissimmee, was sentenced in federal court for unlawfully possessing ricin, a biological toxin, and for possessing two firearms as a convicted felon. Jones was also ordered to forfeit the two firearms.

According to court documents, the FBI received a complaint in December 2021 informing authorities that Jones had manufactured ricin and intended to use it to kill his former partner.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ricin is a poison found naturally in castor beans. Ricin can be made from material lefts over from processing castor beans.

It can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid and can be dissolved in water or weak acid.

During an investigation, authorities learned that Jones ordered numerous items online to produce ricin and that he had reportedly tested water guns to see which ones leaked. Authorities said Jones "planned to go on vacation immediately after spraying his former partner in the face with the ricin so that he would have an alibi when she died."

According to court documents, Jones was stopped by police officers when he attempted to travel to the state where his former partner lived. During the stop, officers found a plastic water gun in Jones’s truck as well as five tubes filled with liquids that later tested positive for ricin.

Authorities also searched Jones's home and found additional tubes containing ricin, castor beans, documents pertaining to ricin and approximately 200 rounds of various types of ammunition.

Jones pleaded guilty to all charges in May.