SPARTANBURG MAN RECEIVES LIFE PRISON SENTENCE FOR MURDER CONVICTION

A Spartanburg man received a life prison sentence without parole today after he was found guilty of killing a long-time acquaintance.

Damion J. Jones, 31, of 180 South Pine Lake Drive, was convicted of murder at the conclusion of a three-day trial. Circuit Judge Paul Burch sentenced the defendant.

Jones used a .45 caliber handgun to shoot Sigida K. Long, 31, to death on Feb. 25, 2005. Spartanburg Public Safety Officers found the victim’s body lying on the asphalt in front of the Seay Street home he shared with his mother. Long died as a result of a gunshot wound to his head.

When Jones first spoke with officers and during his trial testimony, he admitted to shooting Long but he claimed it was an accident.

Principal Deputy Solicitor Barry Barnette and Assistant Solicitor Jennifer Jordan utilized eyewitness accounts, forensic evidence and medical testimony to prove the shooting was a calculated act.

“Mr. Jones’ story doesn’t add up,” Barnette said. “The evidence shows that the killing was a calculated act.”

Jones criminal record includes a 1995 conviction for pointing a firearm, a 1997 conviction for failure to stop for a blue light and a 1997 conviction for malicious injury to personal property.