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Christopher Travis Jones was killed by his children’s mother moments after she hugged him and the kids
NEED TO KNOW
- Mindy Osteen killed Christopher Travis Jones outside a Florida daycare in July 2025
- Osteen reportedly hugged Jones and their two children minutes before carrying out the shooting
- Their two young sons were inside the vehicle when Osteen opened fire at Jones, who was on the driver’s seat
A Florida mother has been sentenced after pleading guilty to killing the father of her children as he was picking them up from daycare.
Mindy Osteen, 34, pleaded guilty to several felony offenses in connection with the July 2025 murder of 37-year-old Christopher Travis Jones in Starke, Fla., according to WCJB. WSAZ and the Bradford County Telegraph.
Officers responding to a shooting outside Auntie Lili’s Child Care Center on July 25, 2025 found Jones with several gunshot wounds, the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement at the time.
Osteen was promptly taken into custody.
According to an arrest report cited by WCJB, Osteen approached Jones after he picked up their two sons from the daycare, and hugged all three of them.
Minutes later, as Jones put the children in the backseat and got into the driver’s seat, Osteen retrieved a firearm from her backpack and shot into the vehicle three times, according to the report.
She continued to shoot Jones as he escaped the car and tried to seek shelter inside the daycare. Jones told responding officers that Osteen was his attacker, the report stated. He died from his injuries after being transported to a local hospital.
A GoFundMe set up at the time highlighted Jones’ journey “of redemption, love, and unwavering devotion to his children.”
“He worked hard every day to provide for them, to be present, and to become the kind of man they could always look up to,” read part of the fundraiser, which had been set up for his funeral and costs for his sons.
“His transformation was a testament to the power of love — and his boys were the reason behind it all,” it said.
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Osteen has pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, several firearm-related charges, discharging a weapon within 1,000 feet of a school and shooting into a vehicle, the Bradford County Telegraph reported. A plea of no contest means the defendant does not dispute the charges but isn’t formally admitting to the crimes.
Osteen has been sentenced to 100 years in prison, the outlets reported. She is also forbidden from having contact with Jones’ family, WCJB reported.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Read the original article on People
