DETROIT – Two people facing charges in the death of a 9-year-old Detroit boy, who prosecutors say was locked away and abused, before he died from untreated pneumonia, appeared in court on Tuesday.
Sherman D. Jones, 46, and Sampaguita L. Jones, 41, both of Detroit, were charged with felony murder, torture and involuntary manslaughter in connection with his death.
Medics responded to a home in the 3700 block of Gladstone Street at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 19, 2024, after they received a report of an unresponsive child.
The 9-year-old boy, Owen, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His cause of death was pneumonia.
Sherman and Sampaguita are accused of neglecting and physically abusing the boy. Prosecutors say the trauma from the continued abuse and neglect resulted in his death.
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The defendants were the boy’s legal guardians and were allegedly licensed foster care workers who had been running a foster care home since at least 2018.
The boy’s biological mother told Local 4 that Sherman and Sampaguita were family friends and were only supposed to have custody of Owen for a year. She called them “manipulators and liars” and said that they stopped letting her contact Owen.
The defendants appeared in court before Shawn K. Jacque on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, for a preliminary examination. The purpose of this type of hearing is for the judge to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial.
Three witnesses testified during the hearing so far, including a doctor and child abuse expert, who said there would have been “clear signs” the boy would have needed to get medical care.
The hearing is expected to resume on Wednesday morning.
Here’s what happened during Sampaguita and Sherman Jones’ preliminary examination on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025:
Officer testifies about responding to the hospital
The first person the prosecution called to testify was a Detroit police officer who responded to the hospital the day the 9-year-old had died.
The officer said that he was called to Henry Ford Hospital on Sept. 19, 2024, after receiving a call about a child who had died.
He learned that the boy’s name was Owen Jones, but police later learned that it had been changed from Owen Roserio.
Boy had marks from ‘head to toe,’ officer says
The officer said there were marks across Owen’s body from “head to toe.” He testified that he saw bruising on the back of his head, almost like bed sores, and on his backside.
He spoke to Sherman and Sampaguita at the hospital, who told him they were Owen’s foster parents.
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What foster parents told police at the hospital
They told him that Owen had been coughing a lot, and they put him in the shower to get the steam into his system, but the boy had passed out, so they called EMS.
The officer also shared details about photos he reviewed from a search warrant that was executed at the home.
Cameras, doors without doorknobs
He said there were sensors on specific doors and kitchen cabinets, and two or three doors that didn’t have doorknobs.
There were several cameras inside the home, with one specifically pointed at a door that led to a child’s bedroom. The officer said there was a crib and a twin mattress inside.
The officer also testified that he obtained search warrants for Owen’s medical records from Henry Ford and DMC hospitals.
During his cross-examination, Sampaguita’s attorney clarified that the foster mother was the one who called 911 after the boy passed out in the shower.
Foster mom was ‘distraught’
The attorney also asked about how the foster mom was acting at the hospital, and the officer said that when he arrived, she seemed distraught.
The officer was also asked about Owen’s 2021 DMC medical record, which shows Owen was allegedly injured in a snowboarding accident. He later confirmed that Sampaguita was the one who gave the narrative portion about this accident in the report.
When asked, he agreed that in the report, there was nothing included from the physician about any red flags regarding the manner of the injury.
During the officer’s cross-examination by Sherman’s attorney, the officer confirmed that he didn’t have any knowledge about Owen before his death and wasn’t given any information about any preexisting health conditions.
While he saw scratches, scars and bruising, the officer said he wasn’t given any information about who would have inflicted these marks.
Sherman’s mom testifies
The second person the prosecution called to testify was Sherman’s mother.
She testified that at the time of Owen’s death in September 2024, she did not know where Owen and his foster parents were residing.
The woman said that she had seen Owen interact with both foster parents, but that the boy acted a little bit nervous around Sampaguita.
She said that she met Owen when he was about 2 or 3 years old, and that the last time she had seen him before his death was on Father’s Day in 2023. This would have been about a year and a half before he died.
Burn on boy’s hand
The woman testified that she noticed the back of his hand was pink and a little discolored.
When she asked her son about it, he allegedly told her that Owen had gotten the burn while cooking oatmeal.
Why woman said she called CPS
Sherman’s mother testified that she didn’t call CPS after seeing these burns, but later called CPS for a welfare check because it had been a long time since she had last seen Owen. She explained that she would see Owen every once in a while.
When the prosecutor asked her why not seeing Owen would concern her, the woman said, “He was like a surrogate grandchild to me.”
She was also asked if she ever saw bruising on Owen, and she said she didn’t, and just saw scratches/marks that kids typically get, and nothing that concerned her.
Woman said boy didn’t appear to be in pain
During her cross-examination, the foster mother’s attorney said that the burns on Owen’s hands didn’t appear to need immediate medical attention, and he didn’t seem to be in pain.
Prosecutor: Woman told police she called CPS because of boy’s bruises
The prosecution then said that in the woman’s interview with police, she told them that she had actually called CPS because of the bruises she saw on Owen.
When asked if she had any intention of lying to protect her son, the woman said no. She said that her interview with the police was an unfamiliar experience, and she was nervous talking to them.
Sherman’s mother claimed that while she has thought about the case and has been grieving Owen, she hasn’t thought about her interview with the police since it happened.
Child abuse pediatric doctor testifies
The third person the prosecution called to testify on Tuesday was Dr. Bradley Norat, who is trained in pediatrics and specifically child abuse pediatrics, and works at Children’s Hospital in Detroit (which falls under the DMC umbrella).
He reviewed Owen’s medical records and the police investigation and created a report of his findings.
Dr. Norat discussed photos of Owen from the report, which were shown in court.
Scarring shows boy was likely hit by flexible object, doctor says
One photo showed that Owen’s stomach was large and distended, and you could see darker blood vessels across it. It also showed multiple scars across his abdomen, which caused some discoloration, according to the doctor.
Norat said he worried about the linear nature of the injuries and said he sees similar scarring in children who are hit with flexible objects, which is usually some type of cord.
One of the defense attorneys argued that this was speculative, but the judge said Norat was using his expertise to explain what he had seen before.
Scarring, distended veins
Photos also showed areas of scarring and hyperpigmentation on Owen’s forehead. Norat said he couldn’t date the injuries, but said that it would’ve been weeks or months before the photo was taken since the injuries were healing. This particular photo was from Owen’s Henry Ford medical record.
Some photos show distended veins across Owen’s body, and multiple healed scars in the area of his neck and chin.
There were multiple skin injuries on Owen’s back, including one injury that was still in the process of healing.
Bone survey shows fractures to ribs, air in stomach
A bone survey was also ordered. Norat said these are most common in children under two when there is a suspicion of child abuse, but can also be ordered for older children.
X-rays showed that Owen had fractures on two of his ribs, which showed signs of healing, and that there was air inside Owen’s intestines and stomach. Norat said that when you don’t have proper positioning when trying to resuscitate a child, the air can go into their stomach. He also noted that rib fractures are extremely painful, and coughing would have been difficult.
Fluid in lungs
There was also fluid around Owen’s lungs that shouldn’t have been there, according to Norat. This fluid would’ve made it challenging for Owen to breathe.
Doctor: Boy’s bone was torn off from his upper arm bone
One X-ray shows an area of Owen’s right arm, which Norat said had been torn off from the upper bone, near the elbow. Norat said this would’ve been very painful and Owen wouldn’t have been able to move his arm as a result.
Owen also had a healing fracture near one of his pinky fingers and a fracture to his left shoulder blade.
The scans also revealed a small foreign object inside Owen.
After conducting his assessment, Norat determined that the injuries were highly concerning and it was highly likely that they were non-accidental trauma.
Conclusion: Non-accidental trauma, doctor says
Norat said he had tried to come up with other reasons for Owen’s injuries, but still concluded that it was non-accidental trauma.
After reviewing the medical examiner’s report, Norat learned that there was an infection in the fluid surrounding Owen’s lungs, which is typically caused by pneumonia spreading. Norat said it takes a long time, usually weeks, to get to this point.
Norat explained that the pneumonia would have had to go untreated for weeks for this to happen, and there would have been clear signs, such as fever, coughing, lethargy, difficulty breathing and vomiting, that showed that the boy needed medical attention.
He said he believes that if Owen had gotten medical care sooner, he would have survived.
Next court date
Due to timing, the court hearing ended before the doctor was cross-examined by the defense attorneys.
While court is expected to resume on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, Norat is expected to appear in court again at a future date due to scheduling conflicts.
The prosecution said they plan to call the medical examiner and possibly one other witness on Wednesday.