The ex-wife of an Arizona man who murdered six people with links to their bitter divorce case has described him as her ‘own personal terrorist’ as she opened up on how she trained for the day that he would possibly confronted her.
Dwight Lamon Jones, 56, killed himself at a hotel as police closed in on him after he embarked on a four-day killing spree near Phoenix between May 31 and June 4.
The majority of his victims were people who had clear connections to his years-long divorce case with his ex-wife Connie Jones.
His victims included the JonBenet Ramsey forensic psychiatrist who testified against him in court in 2010, two paralegals who worked for the law office that represented his ex-wife, a marriage-and-divorce counselor who was apparently targeted in a case of mistaken identity and an elderly couple who he apparently used to play tennis with.
In her first sit-down interview since the ordeal, Connie told Dateline NBC of the extreme safety measures she had to take after her protective order against Jones expired in 2013.
Connie Jones, the ex-wife of the Arizona man who killed six people last month, has described him as her ‘own personal terrorist’ as she opened up on how she trained for the day that he would possibly confronted her
‘(Dwight) told me that he would wait until my defenses were down and then he would get me,’ Connie said in the interview scheduled to air on Friday.
‘I had my own terrorist, my own personal terrorist.’
Dwight Lamon Jones, 56, killed himself at a hotel as police closed in on him after he embarked on a four-day killing spree near Phoenix between May 31 and June 4
She hired retired Phoenix police detective Rick Anglin to conduct surveillance on Jones and assess how much of a risk he was to both Connie and the couple’s now 21-year-old son.
Anglin, who is now married to Connie, trained her on how to use a gun in case Jones confronted her.
‘I prepared her for it mentally, physically, and emotionally. She trained for it,’ Anglin told Dateline NBC.
Anglin had assembled a team to constantly watch over Connie and her son. In addition to the ongoing security, Connie and her son used multiple safe houses and rental cars, as well as switching up the commute to work and the grocery stores they used.
‘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.
Anglin said they all had to be hyper-vigilant before Jones took his own life.
Connie Jones and her second husband, retired Phoenix police detective Rick Anglin, spoke to Dateline NBC about the measures they had to take to ensure their safety in the years after she divorced Jones
‘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,’ he said.
The retired detective was the one to actually tip police off about Jones’ role in the killing spree after making the connection between the victims.
Dwight and Connie were married 20 years before she filed for divorce in 2009. She has previously said that he was likable at first but his behavior became more erratic and his appearance disheveled over time.
Court records show Connie filed for divorce in 2009. The case was finalized in 2011 but it continued to drag on until last year because they couldn’t agree on alimony payments and child support.
The slayings began on May 31 with the fatal shooting of Dr Steven Pitt, who, according to court records, had evaluated Jones and testified in 2010 that he had anxiety and mood disorders and symptoms of a paranoid personality.
Pitt said Jones did not conform to social norms and acted impulsively and aggressively. Records also stated that he lacked remorse and close friends and required excessive admiration.
The testimony was cited in the couple’s 2010 divorce, which granted Jones’ wife sole custody of their son.
Dr Steven Pitt, a prominent forensic psychiatrist who assisted in high-profile murder cases including the JonBenet Ramsey mystery, was found dead near Scottsdale on May 31
Veleria Sharp (left) and Laura Anderson (right) were shot dead on June 1 at the law office where they work, which focuses exclusively on mediation and family law litigation
A fourth professional, Marshall Levine, was found shot inside a Scottsdale office building shortly after midnight on June 2
The 59-year-old psychiatrist was well known in his field and assisted in high-profile murder cases, including the JonBenet Ramsey mystery in Colorado and a notorious Phoenix serial killer investigation.
According to court records, Jones’ wife was represented during their divorce by Elizabeth Feldman. The local attorney is a partner at the law firm where the two paralegals were killed on June 1.
Phoenix Police released this sketch of the Jones prior to tracking him down at the hotel where he eventually killed himself
Feldman was not believed to be at the office when paralegals Veleria Sharp, 48, and Laura Anderson, 49, were gunned down.
Police say one of the women managed to walk to an intersection to seek help despite a gunshot wound to her head. She was taken to a hospital where she died.
Officers followed a blood trail back to the office and found the other woman. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Counselor Marshall Levine, 72, was found dead on June 2 after he was seemingly mistaken for someone else who once occupied the same office.
At one time, the space was used by a counselor who saw Jones’ son as part of the divorce. Levine, who took over the space, was not involved in the divorce case.
Jones also was linked to the killings of a Fountain Hills couple, Mary Simmons, 70, and Bryon Thomas, 72, who were found dead inside their home on June 4.
Jones killed himself at this extended stay hotel where he had been living when police closed in on him after his four day killing spree last month
Police said the couple occasionally met up with Jones to play tennis at local parks but they had no clear connection to the divorce case.
In a statement released following the killing spree, Connie said she was ‘deeply saddened’ by the deaths.
‘He was a very emotionally disturbed person as the court records will confirm,’ she said in a statement.
‘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 her husband were away on vacation when she got news of the killings and her ex’s death.
She said at the time that a sense of relief swept over her.
The full interview with Connie Jones will air on Dateline NBC on Friday, June 29 at 10pm ET/PT, 9pm CT.