CORALVILLE – An Iowa child rapist died in prison, officials said.
Jessie James Jones was pronounced dead due to an unexpected medical emergency at 7:02 AM on Sunday, December 11, 2022 at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center. Foul play is not suspected. Jones was 70 years old at the time of his death.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Jones had been serving a 25-year maximum term for the crime of Sex Abuse – 2nd Degree from Clinton County. His sentence began on May 12, 2011.
According to court records of an appeal Jones filed in the case, in fall 2010, Jones was charged with three counts of sexual abuse in the second degree. In each of the counts, it was alleged Jones perpetrated sex acts a nine-year-old girl. A jury trial took place over two days in March 2011. At the trial, the victim, who was a child in the home Jones had been living in during the relevant time periods, testified Jones pulled her down onto the air mattress Jones was using as a bed in the family living room, pulled down her pants and underwear, and committed a sexual act on her for 4-5 minutes. Jones was later convicted on one count and sent to prison for 25 years.
