x
Breaking News
More () »

Suspect pleads guilty to murder of Ashtabula caterer Tim Meola

Demarco Jones will be sentenced on Feb. 23 after pleading guilty to the aggravated murder of Tim Meola.

PAINESVILLE, Ohio — The suspect accused of the 2019 murder of a popular Northeast Ohio businessman has changed his plea to guilty.

According to the Painesville Police Department, Demarco Jones of Willowick has pled guilty to a charge of aggravated murder relating to the killing of Tim Meola. Jones, who was 17 years old at the time of the murder, had his $2 million bond revoked and will be sentenced on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at 2 p.m.

Meola, the 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.

Nearly three years passed before Painesville police and U.S. Marshals arrested Jones in July 2022. Authorities have not indicated Jones' possible motive for killing Meola, and court records have shown he had no prior adult arrests.

More crime coverage from WKYC:

Before You Leave, Check This Out