A 50-year-old Kissimmee man was sentenced to ten years behind bars for manufacturing ricin from castor beans in order to kill his former partner.
Kevin Deane Jones was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger to spend the next ten years in federal prison for unlawfully possessing ricin and for possessing two firearms as a convicted felon. Jones pled guilty to the charges in May 2022.
In December 2021, the FBI received a complaint that Jones had manufactured ricin and intended to use it to kill his former partner. At the time, law enforcement officers discovered that Jones had ordered numerous items online to produce ricin, had tested water guns, and said he was going to go on vacation immediately after spraying his former partner in the face with the ricin so as to have an alibi when she died.
On December 6, Jones was questioned by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regarding his possession of weapons. Jones is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms. After the visit, Jones removed multiple firearms and ammunition, taking them to a storage unit rented in his name.
On December 17, 2021, law enforcement officers learned that Jones was planning to visit the state where his former partner lived. While he was en route, officers stopped Jones and located a plastic water gun in his truck. In addition, five tubes filled with liquid were recovered.
That liquid later tested positive for ricin.
Jones admitted to manufacturing ricin and a search of his residence revealed additional tubes containing ricin, along with castor beans, documents pertaining to the toxin, and approximately 200 rounds of various types of ammunition.
Ricin is a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of castor-oil plants. A lethal dose of ricin is only a few milligrams. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, death from ricin poisoning can take place anywhere from 36 to 72 hours after exposure.
Law enforcement officers also discovered the rifle, handgun, silencer, and approximately 3,000 rounds of various types of ammunition that Jones hid in his nearby storage unit.