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Jerome Jones Pleads Guilty to Murder, Queens NY, 1991
A high-ranking member of a notorious Queens-based crew, known as Black Rain, has finally admitted to his role in a triple murder case that went cold over three decades ago.
Jerome Jones, also known as ‘Sha,’ pleaded guilty to murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking for his participation in the 1991 murder of Oscar Flow. As part of his plea, Jones, 60, also admitted to his role in the 1992 murders of Robert Arroyo and Dorothy Taylor.
The gruesome killings were committed to protect the gang’s lucrative operation, which brought in approximately $15,000 per day in narcotics sales at a single location on Rockaway Boulevard in the early 1990s.
The first murder took place in Springfield Gardens, Queens, in December 1991. Jones and a co-conspirator shot Flow multiple times in the head and body after learning that he had stolen from Black Rain.
The other two murders were committed in the vicinity of 128th Street and Rockaway Boulevard in South Ozone Park. In August 1992, Jones recruited and paid two co-conspirators to murder Robert Arroyo, whom he believed was a drug-trafficking competitor and a police informant. Jones’s recruit mistakenly shot and seriously injured another man they incorrectly believed to be Arroyo in their first attempt. On September 8, 1992, at Jones’s direction, the recruits located Arroyo on a crowded street and shot him multiple times, killing him.
Just a month later, Jones ordered the killing of Dorothy Taylor, who he blamed for having a Black Rain drug spot shut down by law enforcement when she failed to pay the rent. Jones again paid a co-conspirator to commit murder. On November 2, 1992, Jones’s recruit hid in Taylor’s driveway and shot her to death when she arrived home.
United States Attorney Breon Peace praised the tireless efforts of law enforcement officials in pursuing the case, stating, ‘After over 30 years, Jones has finally admitted his role in the calculated murders of three individuals.’
Jones faces 20 years to life in prison when sentenced.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Tanya Hajjar, Emily J. Dean, Lindsey R. Oken, and Raffaela S. Belizaire are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Theodore Rader.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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