Father who pleaded guilty to murder in case of child fed to pigs now wants new trial

The father convicted in the murder case of a tortured 7-year-old whose body was fed to pigs has been granted a hearing to request his guilty plea be withdrawn, court records show.

Michael A. Jones, 46, is set to appear in Wyandotte County District Court on Nov. 3.

Jones was sentenced in May to life in prison with no chance for parole for 25 years in the death of his son, Adrian Jones. Testimony showed that the child had been tortured — repeatedly beaten and starved by the father and the child’s stepmother Heather Jones — and that his body was fed to pigs.

Adrian Jones’ family had just held burial services last week, according to his grandmother, Judy Conway, and now they fear they are going to have to relive the horror of the case anew.

“We felt like we had shut a door ...” Conway said, “but then another door opens and evil is there — Mike is there again.”

Heather Jones in November 2016 also received life in prison with no chance for parole for 25 years. She was also sentenced to five years and eight months in prison for two counts of child abuse.

Adrian’s death in the fall of 2015 made national headlines because of its gruesome details.

Michael Jones’ hearing is scheduled for Nov. 3 at 1 p.m., before Wyandotte County District Judge Michael Grosko.

It remains to be seen if the court will allow Michael Jones to withdraw his plea, but if it happens, Conway said she hopes a new trial would eventually lead to a stiffer sentence for the father.

“We (Adrian’s family) were devastated they didn’t get life in prison without parole,” Conway said. “With how much he (Adrian) had to suffer every minute — every second — of every day, life without parole is just.”

Adrian was laid to rest in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence, Kan., beneath a shade tree and near a field of wild strawberries, Conway said. Adrian loved fruit, she said, and the nearby field “will be a sea of red in the summertime.”

The memorial stone is still being finished, but it will call him “superhero,” with an epitaph that reads, “Some people only dream of angels, but we got to hold one in our arms.”

This story was originally published October 28, 2017 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Father who pleaded guilty to murder in case of child fed to pigs now wants new trial."