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Ronald Anthony Jones was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the rape and murder of Lois Haro at the Pasadena Plaza mall in 1988

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced today that Ronald Anthony Jones has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of 26-year-old Lois Haro, who was raped and killed after being kidnapped in 1988 by Jones and his accomplice. The sentence, based on the jury’s verdict in case A578017, was reached Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court Department 109.

“We hope some closure has been brought forth for the loved ones of Mrs. Lois Haro as the second of her murderers has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole,” District Attorney Gascón. “I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to our office’s Major Crimes Division and Deputy District Attorneys Beth Silverman and Seth Carmack for their relentless pursuit of justice as this decades-long case comes to an end.”

Ronald Anthony Jones (DOB 11/17/69) of Pasadena was found guilty on October 7 of first-degree murder, four special circumstances and an enhancement of principal armed with a gun. At the beginning of trial, he had pleaded guilty to one count each of kidnapping for robbery, second-degree robbery, forcible rape while acting in concert, and forcible oral copulation.

On October 18, 1988, Jones and his accomplice, George Marvin Trone, targeted Lois Haro at the Plaza Pasadena in the city of Pasadena and followed her to her parked car. At gunpoint, they forced her into her car and carjacked and abducted her. They each sexually assaulted her, then drove the victim to a remote area in Pasadena, where they shot and killed her.

Jones was convicted of murder and other charges and sentenced to death in 1991. In 2021, the United States District Court reversed the 1991 conviction due to Wheeler–Batson error, which occurs during jury selection in a trial and involves the improper exclusion of potential jurors based on race, ethnicity, or other protected characteristics.

Last year, Jones’ DNA was identified on the victim’s clothing and sexual assault kit evidence.

In 1991, Jones’ accomplice Trone was found guilty of robbing, sexually assaulting and murdering Lois Haro and in 1992 was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The case was investigated by the Pasadena Police Department with assistance from the LADA’s Bureau of Investigation.