In January of 2013, 25 year old Marin City resident Jovan Jones was accused of following a women into her Telegraph Hill apartment and forcibly raping her.

You can find 2013 coverage here:

• SF Gate
• CBS News
• SFPD Arrest Announcement

However, since 2013, it is nearly impossible to find any coverage or updates on the progress of the case. It is unknown exactly why the case took 10 years to prosecute, but today we can finally and definitively report that justice was served this morning in Department 21 of San Francisco Superior Court by Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Jimenez.

Verdicts delivered by jury

On Monday, January 23, 2023, a jury in San Francisco Superior Court delivered the verdicts for the eight counts charged in case CRI-13001219, the People v Jovan Jones:

Guilty verdict roundup:

• Burglary with Intent to Commit Sexual Assault
• Attempted Forcible Penetration with Foreign Object
• Sexual Penetration with Foreign Object by Force or Violence
• Attempted Rape by Force or Violence
• Rape by Force or Violence
• First Degree Residential Robbery

* Notes on Count 8:

• There were two separate alleged female victims, and separate alleged incidents, involved in this case.
• Counts 1 through 7 relate to Victim CM and Count 8 relates to Victim EW.
• The jury found Mr. Jones not guilty as to the charges in Count 8 which amounted to stealing a phone and bike from a female victim as she entered her apartment in the Lower Haight neighborhood.

Facts of the case

• The victim in the Telegraph Hill incident was on the phone with her mom when she was attacked
• The victim’s mother called 9-1-1 immediately which prompted a swift response from law enforcement
• A CHP helicopter equipped with infrared FLIR technology was already in the area and played a critical role in the apprehension of the suspect
• DNA evidence was strong including evidence of semen recovered from the victim that matched Jones with a probability of 1 in 44.6 quadrillion to be someone other than Jones
• A knife that was positively ID’ed by the victim to have been the one used by Jones in the incident was found inside the victim’s apartment

Jovan Jones’ demeanor

The demeanor of any defendant accused of a serious crime such as this is a subject of fascination for many people, including myself. Jones’ demeanor was noteworthy, given the circumstances of the charges, in a few instances:

• During the closing arguments phase, Jones was seen smiling and waving to a small group of female prosecutors sitting in on the proceedings. They did not wave back.
• This morning, immediately prior to the jury entering the courtroom to deliver the verdicts, Jones appeared jovial alongside his attorneys, even cracking a joke about the presence of additional SF Sheriff’s in the audience section.
• This morning, Jones was overheard saying to his attorney: “Today is the moment of truth, huh”. His attorney, Sandy Feinland, responded: “Yeah, it is”.
• This morning, as the jury was walking into the courtroom immediately next to the defense table, Jones continued to smile and joke with his attorney
• During and after the readings of the verdicts by the Clerk, Jones appeared to be more relaxed than his attorney, showing no visible signs of anxiety or emotion

Approximate location of the Telegraph Hill incident

Snapshot of Jovan Jones’ criminal history in San Francisco

Despite not all of the charges being known from Jones’ previous cases in San Francisco, it is clear that he was known, at least on some level, to the police. Just a few weeks before the January 12, 2013 rape incident, it appears Jones was arrested and charged in San Francisco for receiving stolen property. In 2012, the year prior to the rape incident, Jones was charged with at least seven different crimes

Sentencing and future proceedings

The date for sentencing is currently unknown, but rest assured, we will find out and share the details.

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