COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A grand jury has indicted three men accused of killing a Clark Atlanta University student who answered a Craigslist ad.
James Jones, 21, was shot and killed when he met the men to purchase an iPhone in February, prosecutors say.
During testimony in March, a Marietta police detective said Ruthenberg later admitted he yanked open a car door and opened fire.
“He stated he feared Baker would be injured or something would happen to Baker due to the victim driving off, and he shot Mr. Jones one time,” said Prentist Henderson with the Marietta Police Department.
Henderson said Jones’ car drove around a cul-de-sac, crashing into another car.
Detectives said Ruthenberg, with Myles nearby, chased down the crashed car with Jones seriously hurt inside. Then, they say, he shot him again.
Jones brother says he's not focused on how his brother died, but the life they've now lost.
“I didn’t just lose a brother; I lost my best friend,” Samuel Heath told Channel 2’s Ross Cavitt. “A part of me died. I don’t know how to feel in this moment. I feel numb.”
Jones was a 3.0 GPA chemistry major at CAU, who was preparing to study abroad in China. Heath says his brother was the family’s shining star, who would want people to learn from his death.
“He was always laughing. He was always telling a joke. He had the biggest smile. He was able to just brighten up the room, so in this moment he definitely would. He would want us to all, number one, pay attention, to learn our lesson and to celebrate him right now and to celebrate life as a whole,” Heath said.
The murder of Jones stunned many students at Clark Atlanta.
WSBTV
