7-8-04 - The woman convicted of manslaughter in the death of Whitesboro jeweler Jon McCullough will serve time in prison. Today, a Grayson County judge gave Kristi Jones 90 days in the Texas Department of Corrections, one week after a jury recommended 10 years probation.

The judge cited a Texas statute that allows for additional prison time if the perpetrator uses a deadly weapon in the crime. Jones was convicted of manslaughter last week for fatally shooting McCullough during a struggle outside her Whitesboro home last summer. The jury’s sentence of 10 years probation and a $10,000 fine still stand although the judge did add another $500 in fines.

After the sentence was announced, Jones wept and her family was visibly upset and shaken. She’d argued before on the witness stand that further fines and jail time would leave her unable to complete the terms of her probation.

On the other side of the courtroom, family and friends of Jon McCullough breathed a sigh of relief but still believe the sentence should have been longer.

Jones will surrender to authorities on July 12 and then be assigned to a prison in the Texas Department of Corrections. Jones’ defense team is still considering an appeal.