A couple of things to note:

Despite the skirmishes and tiffs that occurred between the supporters of Chris Jones and Donald Munsey during the trial, and even before, there didn’t appear to be any cross words between them after the verdict was read. Additionally, there were no outbursts from either side, other than a low sighing moan of dissatisfaction from the Munsey side when Jones was convicted of second-degree murder, rather than first-degree.

The sentencing date and hearing for a new trial both will be on July 10. The court decided to have them on the same day to  accommodate special prosecutor Bret Gunn, who lives in Nashville.

The jury was out about 40 minutes to deliberate the mysterious fifth charge that they had to consider after finding Jones guilty of the four charges highlighted throughout the trial.

That’s it for the Chris Jones trial, and for about three weeks of blogging on defendants named Jones. (Remember Henry Lee?)

This was the fourth case we’ve done on the Memphis Trial Blog. There are some other cases we are watching as they move through the legal system to see if we we’ll blog those. But, there are none on the immediate horizon, so it’s a bit unclear when we will be back in court.

Best I can say is that we will let you know when one meets the formula for a case we think will be interesting.

As for now, the state has rested, the defense has rested.

And the blog  rests.

Donald Musney’s family spoke to the media after the jury found Chris Jones guilty of second-degree murder in Munsey’s death at the Windjammer restaurant. Munsey, the karaoke bar’s disc jockey, went by DJ, not because of his job, but because his full name was Donald Joseph.

Munsey’s mother, Annysa Strausser , said they didn’t get the first-degree murder conviction they wanted, but they were satisfied with second-degree.

“Several people acknowledged that (Jones) had the intention of doing  something to someone there,” she said. “…We’re still pleased with the outcome. At least he’ll be behind bars. It might not be forever, but….”

“He can’t hurt anyone now. He’s got to pay for his crimes,” interjected Stacey Harris, Munsey’s longtime girlfriend and mother of two of  his children. “At least his family, and his kids gets to see him. They don’t have to visit a grave site.”

The jury added another guilty verdict on Chris Jones today — known so far as the fifth indictment.

They discussed the charge for about 40 minutes. This charge was use of a firearm in commission of a dangerous felony.

Jones again shows no emotion.

Fowlkes excuses the jurors from their duty and thanks them for their service.

Unlike Henry Lee Jones last week, Chris Jones still stands in respect of the jury leaving the courtroom.

The jurors have said they have a verdict on the fifth charge against Chris Jones. They deliberated about 40 minutes on their verdict this time.

Special prosecutor Brett Gunn and defense attorney Leslie Ballin just shook hands and congratulated each other on a good trial. Katrin Miller, Gunn’s co-counsel, is not here, apparently on her way back to Nashville.

The judge, jury and defendant are not in the courtroom yet.

Special prosecutor Bret Gunn spoke with the media while the jurors deliberated the fifth charge against Chris Jones. As for the case itself, Gunn said Jones hurt himself by testifying in his own defense.

“I think they didn’t believe Mr. Jones at all,” Gunn said. “Obviously,  they didn’t credit his version of what occurred. …I think a lot of things he had to say were just not believable, and evidently, the jury didn’t believe him.”

But Gunn added that it was a necessary gamble for Jones and defense attorney Leslie Ballin if the defendant was going to rely on the self defense approach. On the stand, Jones said he feared for his life.

“It would be questionable whether he would have even gotten a self-defense instruction out of the judge had he not testified,” Gunn said. “So, I think he really had to get up on the stand and say he was in fear, and that’s why he did A, B and C, or he likely might not have even gotten that self-defense instruction.

“It was a gamble either way, but I think his testimony helped us, I really do, because it just didn’t make sense.”

Gunn said he knew that he would have to weather some of his earlier witnesses, who were drunk at the Windjammer the night of the shooting. “But we also knew we had some people that had not been drinking that were going to be very good witnesses.

“We just put them only early in the case and got through them and took a couple of lumps with them,” Gunn said. “But I think the key parts of the case were corroborated by people who had not been drinking, really did not know other people there and didn’t have any interest in it except being there as customers and seeing it.”

The jury has received the charge for the extra charge and is now headed back to the jury room to deliberate again.

One of the jurors got up to head back to the room even before Fowlkes uttered his last words sending them out.

Fowlkes thanks them for all the work they’ve done so far.  Fowlkes tells them there is one more charge to consider.

The judge says that it is the pulling of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony.

Believe if or not, the jurors did not rise up in revolt. They actually appeared fairly calm. Maybe someone whispered in their ear.

Fowlkes now is reading the jury instructions for the fifth charge.

Judge John Fowlkes has taken his seat at the bench, and Chris Jones is sitting behind the defense table.

The jury is  going to be headed in soon.

And, boy, are they going to be surprised that they have to deliberate again.

The lingering fifth charge is much more serious than first indicated. The charge is actually using a firearm in commission of a dangerous felony. That’s not a misdemeanor, but a felony that carries an automatic  six-year sentence that would run consecutively with the sentence he will receive for the convictions already handed down by the jury.

The jury light is on. They had been outside smoking.

The jury is unaware of this charge, and they apparently will have to go back and deliberate on it. With a guilty verdict on the rest of the charges, and the surprise of more deliberations, don’t expect them to take long to reach that decision.