High Bail for Brothers Accused in Teen’s Stabbing Death

BOSTON, Sept. 27, 2012—A Suffolk Superior Court clerk magistrate ordered two brothers held on high bail at their arraignment for the stabbing death of 15-year-old Lance Hartgrove and the non-fatal stabbing of another youth in Roxbury, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Assistant District Attorney Gretchen Lundgren requested RULA JONES (D.O.B. 6/18/94) and ILM JONES (D.O.B. 9/20/92) each be held on $500,000 bail, wear GPS monitoring bracelets, and stay away from parties who were present during the July 10 altercation that ended with Hartgrove dead and a 17-year-old youth injured.

Clerk Magistrate Margaret Sanel imposed the requested bail and conditions at the brothers’ arraignment this afternoon.

Lundgren told the court that Hartgrove and several friends arrived at the Social Security Administration office on Malcolm X Boulevard shortly before 2 p.m. on July 10 after another individual called to inform him that Rula Jones and family members were at the office. Hartgrove and Jones had allegedly had at least two previous physical altercations. Members of his group brought at least one kitchen knife to the scene.

After a verbal argument, Jones allegedly told the group to wait outside the office while he attended to business inside. While he was inside, Jones’ mother allegedly summoned her older son, Ilm Jones, to the scene.

Ilm Jones arrived after a fight commenced in the federal building’s vestibule and spilled outside, prosecutors say. He allegedly stabbed one male victim in the back. Both brothers are accused of striking Hartgrove as he was on the ground.

As the first stabbing victim rushed to Hartgrove’s aid, Rula Jones allegedly stabbed Hartgrove in the chest, piercing his left lung and heart. Hartgrove also suffered minor stab wounds to his right shoulder and right thigh during the attack. He collapsed and died in a nearby parking lot.

The brothers fled toward Malcolm X Boulevard as police arrived but were both stopped by officers near the building. A passerby told officers that Rula Jones had tossed an item, and a knife was found in the grass near where Jones was stopped by police on Washington Street. Another knife was found near where Ilm Jones was stopped. Testing later showed that both blades had blood matching that of the two victims

Rula Jones was represented by attorney Christopher Belezos and Ilm Jones was represented by Andrew Stockwell-Alpert. Both will return to court for a pretrial conference on Nov. 8.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.