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Bond set at $2 million for man accused of killing Ashtabula caterer Tim Meola

Demarco Jones was 17 years old at the time of Meola's 2019 death, but will be tried for murder as an adult.

PAINESVILLE, Ohio — The man charged in the 2019 murder of a popular Northeast Ohio businessman made his first court appearance on Wednesday.

A preliminary hearing was held for 20-year-old Demarco Jones, a Willowick native who was just 17 at the time of Tim Meola's killing. A Lake County Juvenile Court judge found probable cause against Jones regarding all murder charges and issued a $2 million bond, with the homicide charges now going before a grand jury as prosecutors attempt to try Jones as an adult.

Meola, owner of Meola Catering and Guyreino's Deli in Ashtabula, was found dead inside his Painesville home on the morning of Sept. 7, 2019. The 65-year-old had not shown up for work, and his stolen car was later found in Euclid. Although the case was investigated as a homicide, an official cause of death has never been released.

Nearly three years passed before Painesville police and U.S. Marshals arrested Jones last month. Authorities have not indicated Jones' possible motive for killing Meola, and court records have shown he had no prior adult arrests.

Jones will be back in Juvenile Court on Aug. 30 for an amenability hearing, which will determine if he will face additional discretionary charges.

Credit: Painesville Police Department
Mugshot of Demarco Jones, who is charged with the murder of Ashtabula businessman Tim Meola.

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