Grandmother of dad who killed 5 kids asks to spare his life

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The grandmother of a South Carolina man facing a possible death sentence for killing his five children is asking a jury to spare his life. She says the family has already been through too much.

Roberta Thornsberry testified Monday that along with losing her five great-grandchildren when Timothy Jones Jr. killed them in their Lexington home in 2014, she also has had to deal with untimely deaths of other children and grandchildren.

When defense lawyer Casey Secor asked if Thornsberry thought Jones should die for killing his children, she said “no, God, no.” She said his execution would be the final nail in her family’s coffin.

The same jury that convicted Jones of five counts of murder last week is deciding between death and life in prison without parole.