Earl Jones hated that his ex-girlfriend was dating a Black man, so he decided to kill. According to reports by the Cincinnati Enquirer, the murder occurred following a long dispute between Jones and Kevin Neri, who was mixed-race.
Neri dated Jones’ ex-girlfriend and baby mother, Cyerra Prather. Jones would often harass Neri and told Prather that he didn’t want his son to be “raised by a n—r.”
Jones posted nude photos of Prather on social media and the tensions between him and Neri intensified. After harassing Neri on social media, Jones threatened to fight him. The two decided to meet on the same street where Neri and Prather lived with the child.
Jones arrived at the location with a gun. He approached Neri and called him “n—r” before shooting him multiple times in the back. Neri did not have a gun.
Black Lives Matter protestors have been vocal about the incident and are worried that prosecutors will offer Jones a plea deal.
Hate crimes against Blacks remains a major issue in America. According to reports by the F.B.I. over 30 percent of hate crimes are against Blacks. That stat proves that Blacks are the largest group targeted when it comes to hate crimes. Also, the numbers a skewed because hate crimes against Blacks aren’t often reported and some crimes aren’t classified as hate crimes. Furthermore, some large cities, such as Miami, didn’t report hate crimes when data was collected in 2015.
Although Neri was shot in the back, Jones claims that he acted in self-defense. Jones has been charged with murder, but not a hate crime.
