SCOTTSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- It has been nearly 26 years since 14-year old Lena Righthouse was brutally killed in her southern Indiana home.
Now, the man guilty of her murder is about to walk free.
On Jan. 15, 1996, then 19-year-old Jeremy Jones brutally attacked Righthouse when she was alone in her Lexington, Indiana, home — killing her. She was stabbed 15 to 18 times and evidence found she may have been sexually assaulted.
"Our oldest daughter was on the porch. The first thing she said, she screamed and said 'Mom...' I can't do it ... She said 'Mom, Lena's dead. Somebody killed Lena,'" Christine Righthouse, Lena's mother, said.
Jones was a family friend who lived across the street and was arrested later that day. He had severe cuts to his arms police say were caused by the knife he brought into the house.
19-year-old Jeremy Jones during his arrest in January, 1996.
The Righthouses say Lena was a vibrant high school freshman who loved basketball and always wanted to be a physical therapist.
“She loved people no matter how old they were. She didn’t have any enemies,” Christine Righthouse said.
Lena Righthouse (family photo)
Following a plea agreement, Jones was sentenced to 60 years in prison, which was reduced to 30. He received 4 years of credit for getting a college degree while behind bars. He’s been serving time at a prison in Westville, Indiana, but is set to be released on Jan. 17.
Since learning of Jones' upcoming release, the Righthouses have gotten a protective order against him.
“Who’s to say he won’t do it again? I mean, I don’t know,” said Christine Righthouse. “He’s not going to destroy our lives ... Lena would not want that.”
Christine Righthouse has written two books — one about her daughter’s murder and the other an inspirational book for parents who have tragically lost a child.
Jeremy Jones in 2018 jailhouse photo.
The family says they may never be able to forgive Jones, and his release is something they didn’t expect so soon.
“We are going through the same emotions we went that many years ago. It just brings it back,” said Lena's father, Gary Righthouse. "It's just like you got a wound that's healing and all of a sudden, it's ripped back open again."
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