McKees Rocks man sentenced in death of woman found in a refrigerator

A man charged with homicide in a case involving a woman found dead in a refrigerator in McKees Rocks in 2020 was sentenced to voluntary manslaughter and abuse of a corpse.

Daryl Jones, 44, of McKees Rocks, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to felony voluntary manslaughter and misdemeanor abuse of a corpse on Tuesday, according to court documents. Jones’ original charge of criminal homicide was changed Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter.

Jones has been sentenced to a maximum of 14 years and minimum of 7 years for the voluntary manslaughter charge, and a maximum of 2 years and minimum of 1 year for the abuse of corpse charge.

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s office declined to comment on the case. And a call to Jones’ lawyer was not returned.

On May 4, 2020, police discovered the dead body of Kristy Jefferson, a 38-year-old mother of four, inside an inoperable refrigerator just outside a McKees Rocks apartment unit on Helen Street, according to a criminal complaint. Jefferson was Jones’ girlfriend, and had been reported missing about a week earlier, police said.

Jefferson’s mother told police that Jones had been “extremely abusive” toward her daughter for years and he had previously kicked her in the head and strangled her, according to the complaint.

Police discovered tan pillow covers on the mattress inside Jones’ apartment which matched the same color as the sheet that was recovered with the body in the refrigerator, as well as recovering a metal rack from behind the dresser in Jones’s apartment that matches the metal rack that was recovered from the hallway next to the refrigerator, according to the complaint.

Jones’ lawyer told the Tribune-Review in 2020 that Jones was evaluated and treated at a mental health facility when he was incarcerated.

He is currently confined at the Allegheny County Jail, according to court documents.