McKees Rocks man charged with homicide in death of woman who was found in a refrigerator

Before she was found dead May 4 in a refrigerator in the hallway of a McKees Rocks apartment building, Kristy Jefferson told her mother that if anything ever happened to her, Daryl Jones would be the man to blame, according to court documents.

Jones, 41, was charged Thursday with homicide in connection with Jefferson’s death. He had been charged with abuse of a corpse in the case and has been in Allegheny County Jail since May.

His defense attorney, Blaine Jones, who isn’t related to him, said his client was evaluated and treated at a mental health facility while he’s been incarcerated.

Blaine Jones said he intends to provide the best defense possible for his client.

County police filed the homicide charge after interviewing Jefferson’s family, people who live in the apartment building and other witnesses, according to a criminal complaint.

Charlene Jefferson, Kristy’s mother, spoke with her daughter April 24 and during the phone call Kristy told her Jones had tried to suffocate her with a pillow, Charlene Jefferson told police, according to the complaint.

Jones had been “extremely abusive” toward her daughter for years, Charlene Jefferson told police. He had previously kicked her in the head and strangled her, according to the complaint.

On April 26, Delisha Porter asked McKees Rocks police to check on her sister at the Helen Street apartment where she was staying with Jones, and police checked several times for her to no avail.

Delisha Porter reported her sister missing on April 29 and told police that Kristy Jefferson and Jones had a violent past, police said.

A witness who wasn’t named in the complaint told police Kristy was last seen at the apartment April 29. The same witness said they called police on Easter, April 12, after they saw Kristy naked in the hallway outside the apartment. Kristy Jefferson was crying then and said Jones had tried to strangle her, according to the complaint.

A mother of two children, Kristy Jefferson, 38, was in good health, Porter told police.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office did not find drugs in her system and could not determine a cause for Kristy Jefferson’s death. Dr. Baiyang Xu ruled the manner of death homicide, according to the complaint.