MURDER USA: Charles W. Jones III charged with fatal bludgeoning of two men in Cambridge
CAMBRIDGE, MD – The Maryland State Police report the arrest of Charles William Jones III (DOB 04/20/1986) of 307 Race Street, Vienna, Md, on two charges of felony first-degree murder as well as two counts of second-degree murder.
The Maryland State Police say that Jones was arrested on February 2, 2022, in front of his residence without incident. He was processed and taken before a court commissioner for his initial appearance. Jones was provided a preliminary bond hearing on February 3, 2022, in Worcester County District Court and ordered held in the Dorchester County Jail until a preliminary hearing in the Dorchester County Court.
The deceased are identified as Cleon George Mullings, 35, (DOB 4/22/1986) of Easton, and Kelvin Levert Wiggins, 42, of 511 Clinton Street, Cambridge, Md. Both men were pronounced deceased on the scene by emergency medical service personnel. An autopsy at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore confirmed their cause of death as blunt force trauma and their manner of death as a homicide.
During the investigation, police were able to develop information and evidence that identified the suspect as Jones. Investigators believe Jones and the two victims knew each other.
On February 2, 2022, Jones was arrested by police at his home where they report he was observed burning items in the backyard. A motive for the murder remains under investigation.
On Tuesday, January 25, 2022, investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit responded to the 800-block of Park Lane in Cambridge to take the lead in a double homicide investigation shortly before midnight. Upon their arrival, the two men, later identified as Mullings and Wiggins, were located inside a building suffering from what appeared to be blunt force injuries.
State police investigators from the Homicide Unit, Criminal Enforcement Division, Easton Barrack, assisted by Maryland State Police crime scene technicians and officers from the Cambridge Police Department worked throughout the night processing the scene, collecting evidence, and canvassing the neighborhood for anyone who could provide information about the suspect. Additional assistance in the ongoing investigation was provided by the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and the Dorchester County State’s Attorney’s Office.
As police continue the investigation, anyone with relevant information to this case is urged to contact investigators at 443-684-1216. Callers may remain anonymous.
Jones convicted of possession of more than ten grams of pot
Maryland State Trooper A. Rodriquez charged Jones with packing pot on November 19, 2021. In a plea deal with Talbot County States Attorney Scott Patterson on January 24, 2022, Jones told the court he was guilty as charged. The deal struck by his attorney Jesse Hicks called for a verdict of Probation Before Judgement with no fine and no time.
Jones Convicted in Queen Anne’s Circuit Court on Theft Charges in 2013
Jones entered a guilty plea to theft under $100,000.00 on January 8, 2013, in a plea deal with the Queen Anne’s County States Attorney Lance Richardson and Jones’ attorney, Peter Sean O’Neill. In the deal, approved by Judge Thomas Ross, Jones was sentenced to 15 years in prison with all but one year suspended which allowed him to enjoy the local hoosegow in Queen Anne’s County instead of going off to the big house. Also, part of the deal was that three burglary charges and one other theft charge were all dropped.
Mullings Ordered to Stay Away from Woman
District Court Judge Melvin J. Jews issued a temporary stay-away order against Cleon Mullings on February 19, 2021, filed by Louise Martin. A hearing for a permanent order was dismissed when Martin failed to appear in court.
Drug Distribution Conviction
Mullings admitted he was possessing drugs with the intent to parlay them into cash as a result of a felony charge brought against him in Dorchester Circuit Court on January 23, 2020. The plea deal with the Dorchester County States Attorney William Jones provided for a jail sentence of 125 days.
Mullings Fugitive from Florida Highway Patrol
The St. Johns County courts can close out a wanted fugitive warrant for Mullings that had been open since March 1, 2021.
The obituary for Mullings
Cleon George Mullings was born in Manchester, Jamaica on April 22, 1986. At the age of eleven, he moved to live with his father, stepmother, and brothers in New York. Some years later he moved to Fort Lauderdale in Florida then ultimately to Maryland. Cleon was a mechanic and developed a love for cars and driving. He also enjoyed restoring and refurbishing boats. Services are set for Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at the Bolden-Tilghman Mortuary in Federalsburg with viewing starting at ten o’clock in the morning and funeral at noon. Services for Wiggins are on Feb. 9, 2022, at Henry Funeral Home.
Wiggins guilty in multiple counts of failing to send a child to school
Wiggins was sentenced on September 8, 2016, by Caroline County District Court Judge Douglas H. Evernham to four days in jail when he was found guilty of ten counts of failing to send his child to school.
Drug charges dropped as Christmas present
Two misdemeanor drug charges against Wiggins were dropped in Dorchester District Court on December 22, 2021.
MECHANICS WANTED
