- Sophie Evans had just dropped her kids off at school when the mum-of-two was murdered by her partner’s dad, Richard Jones
- The man falsely believed Sophie and his son were trying to scam him when he unleashed a fatal attack on unsuspecting Sophie
- Shockingly, after committing murder, Richard went to the local bakery to buy a vanilla slice
Sophie Evans had returned home from dropping her two daughters at school when she headed for the shower.
It was July 2024, and the 30-year-old mum lived with her partner Jamie.
After showering, she’d just wrapped herself in a towel when she heard a knock at the door. It was 9.19am and Sophie wasn’t expecting anyone, but when she saw it was Jamie’s father Richard Jones, then 49, she opened the door.
He was there to check their drains.
Richard was a regular visitor, often popping in to carry out odd jobs at the property, and 40 minutes later his work at their home was complete.
But afterwards, Richard sent a concerning text to his ex-partner Tracey that suggested his relationship with Jamie and Sophie was starting to sour, as he called them ‘scamming thieves’.
Richard had a history of suffering with his mental health, so Tracey didn’t immediately think anything much of it.
When Richard sent another text saying he had ‘sorted’ the problem and ‘erased’ it after visiting Sophie, alarm bells rang for Tracey.
Despite Richard texting Tracey, Don’t say a word, she phoned emergency services, telling the operator that Richard had confessed to murder.
Officers were horrified to find the young mother’s body face down on the kitchen floor
Police went to perform a welfare check on Sophie, but there was no answer.
Smashing through the back door, officers were horrified to find the young mother’s naked body face down on the kitchen floor, her neck tied to a cupboard with a towel.
She’d been strangled and had intense bruising to her face, neck, head, chest, back, legs, and arms.
Chillingly, a set of keys to a lock-up unit was found on top of her body. They belonged to Richard Jones. But what would possess a man to murder his son’s girlfriend in such a violent way?
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Arrested that night, Jones initially refused to cooperate with police.
But in time he began to open up.
He explained he believed he’d been scammed by his son and Sophie, after he’d visited a solicitor’s office with his son’s partner to sign forms, leading Jones to believe he’d signed over the deeds to his mother’s house.
He also believed he’d been duped into signing a tenancy agreement for Sophie’s home, and was concerned about a housing benefit claim she’d made.
When he’d gone to fix the drains, Richard Jones confessed that his ‘head went over this scam’ and he unleashed his fatal attack on Sophie.
Despite his chilling confession, Jones claimed he couldn’t recall how he’d killed the mum of two.
After leaving the scene of the crime, he’d purchased vanilla slice from a local bakery.
In CCTV footage, Jones could be seen running to his car at around 10am, before returning to the property.
Then, a few minutes later, he left again with his hat and gloves.
After leaving the scene of the crime, he’d gone about his day showing no signs of remorse, visiting a bank to order a new card and even purchasing a vanilla slice from a local bakery.
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At his trial at Swansea Crown Court, UK, in January this year, Richard Jones denied murder, but admitted manslaughter with diminished responsibility.
The court heard how, on the day of Sophie’s death, just minutes after letting Jones into her home, she had called her father Neil a number of times.
Had she sensed she was in danger and turned to her dad to come and rescue her?
Sadly, Neil would never have the opportunity to speak to his daughter again.
A detailed investigation by police found no evidence of a scam being perpetrated by Sophie or Jamie.
The prosecutor told the court that the defendant had ‘by his own admission, a historic short fuse’. On the day of the incident he’d ‘lost his temper’.
It took the jury less than three hours to find Richard Jones, 50, from Carmarthenshire, guilty of murder.
Ahead of his sentencing in March 2025, Judge Geraint Walters addressed Jones directly about the abhorrent nature of Sophie’s death, which had left two young girls without their mother.
‘There is clear evidence in the days leading up to this that you have begun harbouring thoughts that Sophie Evans and your own son were in fact financially scamming,’ he said.
‘There is no doubt at all about it that, having lost your temper, that you subjected her to gross violence over a period of time before you ultimately extinguished her life by strangulation.
‘You… went about your daily business of ordering a new bank card and buying pastries at a bakery. You didn’t for a moment think about her.’
Richard Jones was sentenced to life in prison and must serve a minimum of 20 years.
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Sophie’s sister Kerry read a victim statement on behalf of the grieving family.
‘There will never be enough justice for what he has done and caused us,’ she said.
‘Two little girls cry every night missing their mummy, a father lost his loving daughter and we have lost our amazing sister.
‘He has taken everything from us all in the most despicable way possible.’
Heartbroken, Jamie condemned his father’s ‘unforgivable’ actions, saying his life had not been the same since his partner’s tragic death.
‘Sophie was the most beautiful and caring person I could ever have asked for,’ he said.
‘[My father] ruined my future and has taken away my future wife.’
‘The thought of having to live my life without Sophie causes me extreme pain and heartache.’
