Donnie Jones
Donnie Jones Jr, 37, who is charged with killing 24-year-old nursing student Megan Sharpton of Tullahoma, pleaded ‘not guilty’ to first-degree murder charges in a Franklin County courtroom Friday morning.
Franklin County Circuit Court Judge Buddy Perry appointed Winchester lawyer Joe Ford to act as Jones’ attorney.
A court date was set for mid-January to begin a trial.
Jones was arrested Nov. 7 and charged with first-degree murder, two counts of rape and two counts of aggravated kidnapping in Sharpton’s death.
A passing motorist discovered the partially burned body of Sharpton in a rural area of Franklin County in the early morning hours of July 2. Her car was found later that day in Bedford County, while her purse was discovered two days later in a creek in Estill Springs.
