BLACK ON WHITE: St Louis WHITE tow truck driver, was recovering a Jeep for a dealership when he was shot.

Arheel's Uncle

Senior Reporter


ST. LOUIS — Police say a Berkeley woman fled the St. Louis region after being involved with the killing of a tow truck driver who was attempting to repossess an SUV. She is now facing charges.
Authorities say Cortrina Donaby, 30, had taken a Jeep Grand Cherokee out on a short-term loan from a dealership in September, but she didn’t pay. Jesse Jones, 44, was sent to retrieve it. After Jones arrived on Sept. 7, police say he was shot and killed by Dwayne Davis, who was called by Donaby to help get the Jeep back.



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Jones’ family members told the Post-Dispatch in September that Jones, of Elsberry, was helping Donaby move belongings out of the Jeep when he was attacked.


“He had a big heart,” said his sister, Stephanie Jones, at the time.


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The feet of a Jesse Jones are visible as St. Louis police officers work the scene of a fatal shooting in the 5900 block of Hamilton Terrace in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. Jones, a tow truck driver, was recovering a Jeep for a dealership when he was shot.
Robert Cohen, Post-Dispatch


After the shooting, police recovered data from a GPS installed on the Jeep by the car dealership and followed it to Cahokia Heights. When police tried to stop the car, it fled and crashed on the Poplar Street Bridge, court documents say.

Davis threw a gun over off the bridge and tried to run from police but was eventually arrested, police wrote. Officers also recovered the gun, which matched the caliber of the bullets that shot Jones.
Police say Donaby fled the St. Louis region and is “hundreds of miles away” in a different state.
On Tuesday, she was charged with second-degree felony murder, which means Jones was killed while Donaby was committing another crime. She is also facing charges of robbery and two counts of armed criminal action. She was ordered to be held without bond when she is captured.


Davis was charged in September with first-degree murder, robbery and two counts of armed criminal action. He is being held at the city jail without bond.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Davis is accused of throwing the gun off the bridge.
 
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St. Louis Woman Charged in Repo Man’s Murder​


Cortrina Donaby allegedly enlisted another man to get her Jeep Grand Cherokee back — and he killed Jesse Jones​


By Ryan Krull on Tue, Dec 5, 2023 at 11:58 am


Cortrina Donaby faces a felony murder charge and a warrant has been issued for her arrest. - COURTESY SLMPD
COURTESY SLMPD

Cortrina Donaby faces a felony murder charge and a warrant has been issued for her arrest.
A St. Louis woman is facing a felony murder charge after working to rob the person who’d repossessed her Jeep — a robbery that went badly awry.
On September 7, 44-year-old tow truck company owner Jesse Jones attempted to repossess the Jeep Grand Cherokee belonging to Cortrina Donaby in St. Louis’ Hamilton Heights neighborhood. But police say 27-year-old Dwayne Davis confronted Jones and tried to "intercept" the Jeep.
Jones, however, refused to give up the vehicle. Davis then shot Jones and fled to Cahokia, Illinois, in the Grand Cherokee.
Police tracked the vehicle there thanks to a tracking device the dealer had put on the vehicle, and a chase ensued. Davis crashed the Jeep on the Poplar Street Bridge and was seen throwing a gun into the river.
He was charged two days later with murder and robbery charges, among others.
A photograph of the scene taken by the Post-Dispatch's Robert Cohen caught the public's attention since it showed Jones' lifeless body wearing bear-claw furry slippers.
"They were lucky he was wearing shoes at all!" Jones' sister Stephanie told the Post-Dispatch. "He loved being goofy. He loved wearing overalls with no shirt underneath it. He loved tie-dye shirts. That's him."
Now, almost three months later, Donaby, the owner of the Jeep, is facing robbery and armed criminal action charges, in addition to the felony murder charge. Felony murder is a charge brought by prosecutors against individuals whose participation in a lesser criminal act leads to someone's death.
Police say that the 30-year-old Donaby contacted Davis about the repossession of her car, which she had through a short-term rental from a local dealership, and that both Davis and Donaby worked together to intercept it as it was being repossessed. Police say Davis told them about Donaby's role in the killing of Jones in an interview with detectives.
Donaby is not currently in police custody. Detective Andre Washington wrote in a police probable cause statement that she is no longer living in Missouri, having fled immediately after the killing of Jones. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.
 
Jesse Jones

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished


St. Louis, MO – September 9, 2023 – Last Thursday, 44-year-old Jesse Jones arrived at an address to repossess a car. Locating it, he found the borrower had it packed with all her belongings and was in the process of moving. In an act of kindness, Jesse offered to drive the borrower to the new address and help her unload it. That’s when tragedy struck.

Repossession Agent Murdered in St. Louis
Jesses Jones body at the scene. Bear foot shoes on feet. – Click to enlarge
It was shortly after 1pm last Thursday when police arrived at the scene of a reported shooting at the 5900 block of Hamilton Terrace. Upon arrival, they found 45-year-old Jesse Jones reportedly shot in the left arm, unconscious and not breathing. Jesse was pronounced dead at the scene.


Jones, a resident of Elsberry, was the owner of JJ’s Towing in St. Louis. He is survived by his new wife Chrysta, sister Stephanie, and adopted adult son and a teenage daughter.


“Jesse was so kind-hearted that he offered to drive the vehicle to her new home and help her unload,” newlywed wife Christa said. ” Then, Jesse stopped answering his phone. That’s when it happened. He was my unicorn.”


Chrysta said that she knew something was wrong. The pair would talk multiple times a day to do safety checks.


Jesse was found dead in the street wearing big, furry slippers in the shape of a bear foot.


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“They were lucky he was wearing shoes at all!” his sister Stephanie told reporters with a laugh. “He loved being goofy. He loved wearing overalls with no shirt underneath it. He loved tie-dye shirts. That’s him.”


She added that he loved his new wife, Chrysta, who he had married just last spring. He enjoyed traveling the country on his motorcycle and reading.


“It is a huge loss for the people he loved and his family. He would drop everything and drive three states just to help us out,” she said. “The world is a worse place today without him.”


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Chrysta said her husband operated JJ’s Towing & Recovery, he’d done so since 2017. He had nearly two decades of experience but Chrysta said it was a dangerous job. She recalled multiple times he’d been stabbed, guns pulled on him and even guns fired at him. But she never imagined the worst.


“It was senseless, it was cold blooded and it makes you lose a little faith in humanity,” Chrysta said. “The next and last time that I will ever see him will be to release him to the morgue so he can be cremated,” she said while choking up with tears.


Through the pain of losing her husband and best friend, Jones plans to continue her husband’s legacy by continuing to operate the towing and recovery business.


Arrest

The following day, Illinois State Police arrested 27-year-old Dwayne Davis in connection with Jones’s murder. He has been charged in St. Louis with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, 2 counts of armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with Jones’s death.

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Murder suspect, 27-year-old Dwayne Davis


In the next few days, Jesses’s widow Chrysta plans to reach out to Davis’ family because she understands they’re dealing with loss too.



At this point there is no fundraising effort to support Chrysta and her family as they deal with their loss. The company Facebook page shows the following contact numbers for them for anyone who wishes to offer condolences or support fundraising to help them through this tragedy.



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Murder suspect, 27-year-old Dwayne Davis
 
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