11-20-03 - It’s been five months since a Whitesboro businessman was shot to death. Today, the woman accused of the killing was arraigned.
Prosecutors gave new information to why Kristi Jones is charged with murder. There's never been any doubt that Jones fired the single shot that killed John McCullough. She claimed it was an accident. But months later, prosecutors upgraded the charge of manslaughter to murder. The shooting occurred after an argument between Jones and a female friend of McCullough, the owner of Kelly's Jewelers in Whitesboro. Authorities say Jones shot McCullough when he tried to stop an argument. They say Jones and the jeweler had a history of bad blood and she meant to kill him. But the defense says it was all an accident. It’s a case that will be tried by county attorney Joe Brown himself. Jones pleaded not guilty to murdering McCullough this morning inside district court 15. The trial is expected to start sometime next year.