Versailles, IN — Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel asked for a bond in the amount of $2 million dollars cash only Monday at the initial court hearing for Jordan Knudson, 36, of Holton. Knudson has been charged with an allegation of Murder of Kristina Jones, 36, on the night of January 10, 2021.
Shortly after midnight on January 11, a 911 call was placed in reference to an unresponsive female at a home on 700 West in Holton. The caller reported that her son, Rodney McEvoy arrived at his home to discover Jones in his bathtub, unresponsive and bloody. McEvoy ran to his parents’ house nearby for help when he discovered Jones. McEvoy’s mother Marlee McEvoy thought that Jones appeared to have been beaten and performed lifesaving efforts until first responders arrived on the scene.
An autopsy, performed by a Hamilton County, Ohio forensic pathologist determined that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds to the head, noting that the wounds were made by a .410 caliber gun. Knudson’s parents, Norman and Pina Knudson, purchased a Mossberg 500 .410 pump shotgun and three boxes of .410 shotgun shells at the Walmart in Greensburg back in July 2020. Norman and Pina Knudson last saw that weapon on December 24, 2020, when Jordan placed it and some of the ammunition inside the home according to investigators. Norman disclosed that he became aware this .410 shotgun was missing from the residence on January 11, 2021, along with a box of .410 shells. A search by the Indiana State Police at the Knudson farm discovered .410 shotgun shells were found in a burn site.
According to Rodney, Jones had been staying with him on and off as she feared Knudson. Rodney had been friends with both for years. St. Vincent Jennings County Hospital showed a record of Jones visiting in December of 2020 complaining of left side head pain and knots on her left side where she alleged to hospital staff that her boyfriend, Knudson, abused her frequently. A protective order was issued against Knudson in Ripley County in December 2020. The order was granted but the probable cause affidavit noted that Knudson was never formally served notice of the order.
The judge granted the bond request on Monday. A jury trial is set for September 14th at the Ripley County Courthouse and an initial plea of not guilty was entered.
