Former wife of Arizona serial killer reveals horrors of how she trained to save her son from their "own personal terrorist"
The former wife of an Arizona man who went on a murder spree killing six people who had links with the divorce proceedings between the couple has come forward and described him as her "own personal terrorist" and the extreme steps she took to make sure she and her son were safe from him.
Connie Jones also said that she trained herself physically for the day when her former husband, 56-year-old Dwight Lamon Jones, would possibly attack her.
Jones committed suicide in a hotel room after police surrounded the building where he was holed in and were about to make the arrest. This happened after a killing spree that lasted four days near Phoenix between May 31 and June 4. Majority of the victims who were killed by Jones had very evident connections to the divorce case with his ex wife.
Jones' many victims included Steven Pitt, the forensic psychiatrist for the JonBenet Ramsey case who testified against him in court in 2010, two paralegals who were working for the law firm that represented his wife, one marriage-and-divorce counselor who was targeted in what was a case of mistaken identity, and an older couple who used to play tennis with him.
Connie Jones told Dateline NBC in an exclusive interview that she had to take extreme safety measures after her restraining order against her former husband expired in 2013. In the interview that is scheduled to air on June 29, Connie said: "(Dwight) told me that he would wait until my defenses were down and then he would get me. I had my own terrorist, my own personal terrorist." She said that she hired Rick Anglin, a retired Phoenix police detective, to conduct surveillance on Jones. He was hired to find out how much of a risk he was to Connie and their now 21-year-old son.
Anglin trained Connie how to handle and use a gun properly in the event that Jones ever confronted her about their failed marriage. The two of them are now married. Anglin told Dateline NBC: "I prepared her for it mentally, physically, and emotionally. She trained for it."
He had put together a team whose sole purpose was to make sure Connie and her son were safe. Aside from the security provided by the team, Connie and her son also had multiple safe houses and rental cars. They also used to switch conveyance methods on how they got to and from work as well as the grocery store.
Anglin said: "I had people full time on the school where the son goes. If Connie went to the grocery store, if she had a public event, if she went to work, there was somebody with her."
He said that all involved in this particular case had to be extremely cautious before the news came that Jones had killed himself. He said: "You don't get to just say: 'Let's go to the movies'. You've got to scan the parking lot. You've got to be aware of any social media that's being posted." Anglin was the one who had tipped off the authorities on Jones' involvement in the murders as well as the connection the victims had to each other.
Jones and Connie got married almost 20 years before she filed for divorce in 2009. She said that he was a nice man in the beginning but his behaviour became pretty erratic over time and his appearance became more disheveled. Court records showed that the case had been finalized in 2011. The reason why it was not finished in the beginning and kept dragging on was because the two of them could not agree on payments for alimony and child support.
The murders started on May 31 with the first to be killed being Dr. Steven Pitt. According to court records, Jones had been evaluated by the forensic psychiatrist who had concluded he had anxiety and mood disorders along with symptoms of a paranoid personality. Pitt testified against Jones in a 2010 trial. He had said that Jones was not a man who conformed to social norms and he acted impulsively and aggressively. Records have stated that Jones did not feel remorse and had no close friends. He was also the kind of man who needed a lot of admiration from people. This testimony had been used in the 2010 divorce of the couple and was instrumental in granting Connie sole custody of their son.
In a statement that was released by Connie after the brutal murders, she said she was "deeply saddened" by the deaths. The statement reads: "He was a very emotionally disturbed person as the court records will confirm. Personally, I have feared for my safety for the past nine years. I cannot express the emotions I feel for the innocent families touched by this senseless violence. My husband, Richard Anglin (a retired Phoenix police detective), recognized the connection to my divorce and the three crime scenes and he notified the Phoenix Police violent crime unit on Saturday night. I also contacted the Scottsdale Police Department on Sunday morning."
Connie and Anglin had been away on vacation when they heard about the killing spree in the news that was followed by Jones' suicide. She admitted that a huge sense of relief washed over her when she found out about her ex's death.
The full interview with Connie Jones will air on Dateline NBC on Friday, June 29 at 10 pm ET/PT, 9 pm CT.