Pueblo County jury finds Ramondo Jones guilty of killing 14-month-old foster child

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- After three weeks of trial, jury members have decided the fate of Ramondo Jones, 38. The Pueblo County man was accused of murdering 14-month-old foster child Aiden Seeley in Sep. 2020.  

On Tuesday, the jury found Jones guilty of first-degree murder. He has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On Sep. 16, 2020, Pueblo County deputies were dispatched to a home in the 400 block of South Coral Drive in Pueblo West in regard to an unresponsive child. The child was identified as Aiden, who was taken to a nearby hospital. He was later flown to a hospital in Colorado Springs where he died on Sept. 18.

Prosecutors say the toddler’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. 

Jones was later charged with the 14-month-old’s murder. 

During closing arguments for the murder trial on Friday, prosecutors began by showing pictures of Aiden healthy prior to moving in with Dacey Spinuzzi, Seeley’s foster mother and Jones’ girlfriend at the time, back in 2020. 

Jones was also living in Spinuzzi’s PUEBLO WEST home on the 400 block of South Coral Drive when Seeley was placed there by Pueblo County’s Department of Human Services.

Four other children were living inside the home besides Aiden, including the toddler’s two biological siblings. 

The photos showing Aiden healthy were contrasted by photos of the toddler on his deathbed. The 14-month-old foster child was visibly frail and on life support.  

A doctor, specializing in injuries from child abuse, testified that there are no accidental explanations for Aiden’s injuries. 

Those injuries included trauma to Aiden’s brain. Prosecutors showed the jury a picture of Aiden’s skull with a fracture running through the entire left side. 

At the time of his death, Aiden also suffered from fractures in his spine. The doctor testified that the injuries to the toddler’s spine were equivalent to falling from a two-story window. 

Aiden also suffered from an injured big toe. The toenail was ripped off, and still oozing at the time of Aiden’s death according to prosecutors. Spinuzzi testified that days before Aiden’s death, Jones grabbed the toddler by the already injured toe causing him additional pain. 

On Sep. 16, 2020, prosecutors said only Spinuzzi and Jones were with Aiden at the PUEBLO WEST home when the toddler received fatal injuries. Jones is the last adult seen with Aiden prior to those fatal injuries. 

Prosecutors pointed out that according to Spinuzzi’s testimony, when Aiden was struggling to breathe, Jones was arguing with his girlfriend over whether or not they should call 911. Spinuzzi testified that Jones left the home before AMR arrived on scene. 

Prosecutors also discussed Spinuzzi’s credibility as a witness. The foster mother pleaded guilty to accessory to first-degree murder and admitted to lying to authorities regarding Jones’ role in the case. Spinuzzi was sentenced to spend 12 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections as a part of a plea agreement. 

The state argued that Spinuzzi lied because she was fearful of Jones. During the trial, prosecutors played a 20-minute phone call recording from 2019 between Spinuzzi and Jones. In the recording, Jones threatened to kill Spinuzzi and her family and then urinate on her gravestone. 

Regardless of Spinuzzi’s credibility, prosecutors argue that her testimony lines with the external evidence in the case. Spinuzzi was not present at the home when the foster children were being injured in the weeks leading up to Aiden’s death. The prosecution says Jones was present because he was jobless, and was tasked with watching of the five children in the home. 

During closing arguments for the defense, the attorneys honed in on Spinuzzi’s credibility as a witness. The defense attorney called Spinuzzi “a darling witness full of lies.” 

The defense argueed that prosecutors haven’t proven ‘who’ killed Aiden Seeley. 

While both Spinuzzi and Jones were inside the home at the time Aiden suffered his fatal injuries, both lied to law enforcement about what occurred. 

The defense said there is no physical evidence or forensic evidence for where the fatal injuries were caused or how they were caused. 

“Can you rely on Dacey?” the defense asked the jury during closing arguments. 

The defense argued that prosecutors made up a narrative that Spinuzzi was afraid of Jones in order to compensate for her lying. While the 20-minute 2019 phone call was “bone-chilling”, they argued the call had nothing to do with Seeley who didn’t move in with the couple until 2020. 

There was one thing both sides agreed on when they gave their closing arguments to the jury. Pueblo County’s Department of Human Services failed Aiden Seeley. 

Prosecutors said social services were “negligent”, and simply weren’t doing a good job. 

13 Investigates reached out to the Pueblo County Department of Human Services for comment on the statements made by prosecutors. We are waiting for a response.