KERRVILLE, Texas – As he reviewed one of the many publications that followed the conviction of nurse Genene Jones, Kerr County District Attorney Scott Monroe said it felt as if it was only yesterday that he and attorneys Nick Rothe and Ronald Sutton had tried the high-profile murder case.
“It was a time in my life that I will never, ever forget," Monroe said.
While she was working for Kerrville Dr. Kathleen Holland, Jones injected 15-month-old Chelsea McClellan with a lethal dose of succinylcholine, a powerful muscle relaxant.
Convicting Jones was a challenge, Monroe said.
“It was a circumstantial evidence case and only Jones knew what happened,” he said. “There wasn’t anyone else around to witness these events.”
The prosecutors relied on clinical evidence that included cutting-edge technology, Monroe said.
One of the most powerful moments in the trial was the testimony of the child’s mother, he said.
“The judge was crying. The jury was crying. The lawyers were crying," Monroe said. “Except for Genene Jones. She did not shed a tear.”
Under the provisions of Texas law at the time of her conviction, Jones is scheduled to be released from prison next spring.
On Thursday, however, Bexar County District Attorney Nicholas “Nico” La Hood announced that Jones has been indicted in another baby death that occurred in 1981.
A $1 million dollar bond could keep her behind bars until that case comes to trial.
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