Melvonta Jones pleads guilty to killing stepfather in front of mother, half-sister

MILWAUKEE -- Melvonta Jones, 24, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Feb. 20 to the Oct. 11 fatal shooting of his stepfather in front of his mother and 7-year-old half-sister.

Jones is charged with first-degree reckless homicide by use of a dangerous weapon. In the criminal complaint, Jones admitted to shooting Benjamin Simms, Sr., 44, after a confrontation in the home near Fond du Lac Avenue and Beale Street in Milwaukee.

Simms' wife said she was at home with her husband and her 7-year-old daughter when her son, Jones, knocked on the front door. When he came inside, Jones asked her if she was “good,” and the complaint said she indicated she was fine. Jones then turned to Simms, telling him he “better not disrespect” Jones or his mother. Prosecutors said Jones then pulled a gun from his pocket, aimed it at Simms, and fired. He then left the home.

According to a criminal complaint, officers who responded to the area were flagged down by an individual who led them to a witness, the victim’s wife, who said the victim, 44, had been shot inside a home. Simms was found on the floor in the living room with a gunshot wound to the left side of his head. Life-saving measures were attempted but were unsuccessful. An autopsy revealed he suffered two gunshot wounds — one to the head, and one to the abdomen.

Jones is due back in court on April 16 for sentencing.