Akhenaton Jones was convicted last week by a jury for first-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, as well as abuse of a corpse, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced on Monday.
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"The verdict last Monday brought justice for our daughter, but it doesn't take away the pain of losing her," said Terri Fells-Edmonds, Fells' mother. "Dominique's life mattered, and we will continue to honor her every day. To me, she was Rem'mie, but to our family, she was a daughter, granddaughter, niece, and friend. We're deeply grateful to the Philadelphia Police Department and the District Attorney's Office for their outstanding work in this case."
Fells's upper body was found floating in the Schuylkill River on June 8, 2020. Her torso had over 40 stab wounds, according to officials.
Three days later, her legs were discovered in a trash bag on the banks of the river.
Two witnesses, who were at Jones' residence in the 3900 block of Powelton Avenue in Philadelphia, were brought in for questioning.
The witnesses told police that Fells was spending time with Jones at the property on June 6. They then said they left the house after the Jones and the victim went into his bedroom.
However, when they later returned, they found Fells dead on the bed, with blood covering the scene.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the Powelton property, where they said they found large amounts of blood splatter. They also recovered a knife, an electric saw, and a white hazmat suit, which were covered in blood.
Jones was also seen on surveillance video taking out a trash can that investigators said contained trash bags filled with Fells' remains. He then put the remains into a white van, which was also seen on surveillance video along the Schuylkill River.
A warrant was later issued for Jones' arrest, but investigators said by then, he had taken off to California. He was taken into custody in Los Angeles on November 9, 2020, and extradited to Philadelphia.
Once in police custody, officials collected Jones' DNA, which matched DNA recovered from the knife, saw and hazmat suit.
"I applaud Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski for her skillful prosecution of this difficult and horrifying case," said District Attorney Krasner. "I also want to thank our victim support staff for standing with the victim's family for five long years, and to the jury for delivering justice for Rem'mie, who was by all accounts a remarkable and creative woman loved by her family, friends, and community. I also thank the Philadelphia Police Department for their excellent investigation in this case."
Jones is scheduled for sentencing on September 26, 2025.