08/28/2026
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐๐
(Marion County, FL) Yesterday, August 27, 2026, jurors delivered their verdict in the 2023 murder case of 56-year-old Darius Duntel Jones. Following a three-day jury trial, jurors found 41-year-old Joseph Edwards Horrighs guilty of First-Degree Premeditated Murder.
Following the juryโs guilty verdict, Judge Barbara Kissner-Kwatkosky sentenced Horrighs to Life in the Florida Department of Corrections.
โ๐๐๐๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ง๐๐ช๐จ ๐
๐ค๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐จ๐ช๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ฎ,โ said Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. โ๐ผ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ค๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ค๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ง๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ช๐๐ก๐ฉ๐ฎ. ๐๐ช๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ช๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ง. ๐
๐ค๐ฃ๐๐จโ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ช๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ก๐ค๐จ๐จ.โ
On September 21, 2023, Marion County Sheriffโs Office deputies responded to a shooting off of SE 174th Place, where they discovered the victim, identified as Darius Jones deceased from multiple gunshot wounds.
As detectives continued their investigation into the death of Darius, they discovered that he had picked up a man and a female companion before stopping at a local Wal-Mart. The three are then seen on surveillance cameras at the store leaving together. Darius got into the driverโs seat of the vehicle, with Horrighs entering the passenger seat in the front and the female getting into the passenger seat in the back. Investigators were able to identify both the female and Horrighs and questioned both as to the events that day.
Initially Horrighs denied being with the victim, but after being confronted with video evidence, he confessed to being with the victim the day of the victimโs murder. Officials learned that after the three had left Wal-Mart, an argument occurred between Horrighs and the female. Law enforcement reviewed footage from a home nearby where the victimโs car and body were found. While reviewing the footage, they observed the female exiting the back seat of the car before leaving on foot.
Approximately 20 minutes after the car is seen driving away, on that same footage, Horrighs is captured briskly walking from the direction the car drove off in. This placed the defendant with the victim for approximately 20 minutes before the shooting. The evidence collected at the scene of the crime, including a gun holster and shell casings were tested for DNA and matched Horrighs. A search warrant was conducted for where the defendant resided, where detectives discovered shell casings matching those recovered from the crime scene.
After speaking with witnesses, law enforcement learned that Horrighs disliked the victim because the victim was African American and because the victim was believed by Horrighs to be flirtatious with the female companion which made the defendant jealous. After ruling out all possible suspects, coupled with the DNA and ballistics evidence, Horrighs was subsequently arrested and charged in this case.
This case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Toby Hunt. The State Attorneyโs Office extends its sincerest appreciation to the law enforcement officers, investigators, witnesses, victim advocates and others whose work contributed to bringing the case before a jury.
