Police suspect that Lawrence R. Jones shot his ex-wife and dismembered her, according to a statement released today.
Police late last week arrested Jones, 69, on suspicion of killing his ex-wife, Norife Herrera Jones, 29, after their recent divorce. Norife Herrera Jones, a native of the Philippines, most recently resided in San Jose.
Hikers discovered her body Sept. 7 in a wooded area off Cannon Road near Aromas. After searching Lawrence Jones’s home in the 100 block of Spray Avenue, detectives concluded that the Naval Postgraduate School professor killed her at the residence before dumping her body near Aromas, about a 30-minute drive from his home.
Initially, authorities with the Monterey Police Department and San Benito County Sheriff’s Office declined to verify the cause of death or other details from the crime scene.
In the statement released Wednesday, the Monterey Police Department noted that the victim “died as a result of gunshot wounds and was then dismembered,” while adding that no other information would be released at this time.
