Crime & Safety
Grand Jury Indicts Dakota County Man On First-Degree Murder Charges
Demarco Marquie Jones is accused of fatally shooting Tatianna Marie Ehnes-Giles on Christmas Eve, prosecutors said.
FARMINGTON, MN — A Farmington man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend on Christmas Eve has been indicted on first-degree murder charges in Dakota County.
A Dakota County grand jury indicted Demarco Marquie Jones, 30, on one count of first-degree premeditated murder, one count of first-degree murder while committing domestic abuse with a past pattern of domestic abuse, and one count of second-degree intentional murder in connection with the death of 26-year-old Tatianna Marie Ehnes-Giles, Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena announced.
Both first-degree murder counts carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The second-degree intentional murder count carries a maximum sentence of 40 years.
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Jones was initially charged Dec. 29 with second-degree intentional murder after deputies were called to a Castle Rock Township residence on Dec. 24.
According to the original criminal complaint, the reporting party, Ehnes-Giles' mother, told dispatch that Jones, the victim's boyfriend, had shot her daughter in the head and that she was not breathing.
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Deputies found Jones at the top of the stairs on the second floor of the home with blood on his hands and on the back of his head, prosecutors said. Jones was verbally responsive and told deputies the gun was "in the room," according to authorities.
Ehnes-Giles was found in her bedroom, lying on the bed with visible injuries to her head. Medics arrived and confirmed she was dead. Authorities said a handgun and two spent shell casings were found in the bedroom.
Ehnes-Giles and Jones lived upstairs in the residence with their two children, while Ehnes-Giles' mother and brother lived in the lower area of the home, according to prosecutors.
An autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office determined Ehnes-Giles died from a single gunshot wound to the head and ruled her death a homicide.
Jones remains in custody at the Dakota County Jail. His next court hearing is expected to be scheduled in the coming days.
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