Cass Lake Man Charged with Murder in Brother’s Death

Arthur James Jones (Credit: Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office)

A 48-year-old Cass Lake man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his brother.

According to a criminal complaint in the case, Arthur James Jones is accused of killing his brother, AJ Jones, during a fight outside a home near Cass Lake early Saturday morning.

Leech Lake officers responded to the scene in Ten Lake Township around 4:30 that morning. The criminal complaint says the incident happened at 21249 Ten Lake Trail E.

When officers arrived, they reportedly found Arthur Jones with his right arm around the neck and head of the victim as he used his left hand as leverage. Officers reportedly told Jones to stop and get off his victim, but he ignored those commands. They also deployed a taser, but Jones still allegedly refused to release his hold on the victim. Officers reported that Jones told them, “he’s already dead.”

After physically removing Jones from his brother, officers found the victim was not breathing and did not have a pulse. They immediately attempted lifesaving measures at the scene, but the victim was pronounced dead after being taken to the Cass Lake Hospital.

Arthur Jones has a lengthy criminal history, including felony second-degree assault, three felony convictions in different cases for third-degree assault, two counts of terroristic threats, possession of drugs, three DWIs, and numerous other traffic-related convictions, including multiple times for driving without a license.