A Ponemah man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 12 years in prison for murder.

Last October, William Jones IV pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after violently assaulting a woman on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

According to court documents, in 2019, Jones and the woman were involved in a romantic relationship and lived together at the victim’s house in Ponemah. During the evening of November 6th, 2019, Jones repeatedly assaulted the woman in their home. After the assault, the victim fell to the floor and struck her head.

Jones did not contact emergency personnel or attempt to render aid, and the woman remained in the house unconscious for almost two days. On November 8th, 2019, Jones’s mother contacted emergency personnel after arriving at the house and observing the woman’s condition.

The victim was hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury, which caused her to remain in a persistent vegetative state with no hope for recovery. She died as a result of her injuries on November 22nd, 2019.

By — Lakeland News