FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marsha L. Cascio-Hale, Jackson County State’s Attorney
Monday, April 14, 2025
DEWAYNE E. JONES, JR. GUILTY OF MURDER
Marsha L. Cascio-Hale, Jackson County State’s Attorney, announced today that Dewayne E. Jones, Jr., 39, of Carbondale, was found guilty of murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm by a Jackson County jury on Friday, April 4, 2025, following a 5-day jury trial.
At trial, the State presented evidence that on April 28, 2023, Carbondale Police responded to a shooting at 700 South Lewis Lane in Carbondale. Once on scene, Carbondale Police Officers located and identified the victim as Rayshaun L. Simon, who had sustained life-threatening gunshot wounds. Carbondale Police Officers performed life-saving measures on Simon until he was transported to Carbondale Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Jackson County Assistant State’s Attorneys, Casey E. A. Bloodworth and Sophia Allen, led the prosecution of Jones, and after securing a guilty verdict on April 4, 2025, Bloodworth explained that Jones faces a sentence between 45-years and natural life in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the murder of Rayshaun L. Simon.
The investigation was led by the Carbondale Police Department and assisted by the Southern Illinois University Department of Public Safety. State’s Attorney Marsha Cascio-Hale commended the swift response of law enforcement, along with her office and Assistant State’s Attorneys Casey E. A. Bloodworth and Sophia Allen. “With everyone’s hard work, justice was done,” she said.
Bloodworth commended the investigation by law enforcement across multiple jurisdictions and the dedication of the Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance throughout the prosecution of this case. Allen further stated that “Gun violence is a crime that impacts not only the lives of those involved in the case, but our community as well. In order to keep our community safe and to prevent violence in our community, crimes involving gun violence will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
A prosecutor has the responsibility of a minister of justice and not simply that of an advocate. This responsibility carries with it specific obligations to see that the defendant is accorded procedural justice, and that guilt is decided upon the basis of sufficient evidence. Except for statements that are necessary to inform the public of the nature and extent of the prosecutor’s action and that serve a legitimate law enforcement purpose, by Supreme Court Rule, the State’s Attorney is not allowed to make statements about pending cases or investigations which would pose a serious and imminent threat to the fairness of the proceeding. Rule 3.8 Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor. For a list of certain subjects which have been determined to pose such a threat to the fairness of the proceedings and for a list of subjects which do not, please see Rule 3.6 Trial Publicity. For any press release involving a case which has not yet been tried, please note that: a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of the jury.