TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Defense lawyers for the man accused of killing 13-year-old Kei’Mani Latigue are up against a new deadline to raise any potential defense arguments regarding Darnell Jones’ mental health or intellectual status, court filings said.
Darnell Jones, who also goes by Darnell Ogletree, is going through court proceedings ahead of his expected April 2026 trial in the kidnapping, rape and murder of Kei’Mani Latigue in Toledo. It’s a story that sparked community outrage and made national headlines.
The defense has to “raise the matter of serious mental illness, intellectual disability, and any other related claim, defense, or related condition at the time of the alleged commission of the offenses charged in this case” in writing by Oct. 30 or will be barred after to the legally permissible extent, the judge’s order read.
If Jones’ lawyers want to pursue a not guilty by reason of insanity defense, they’ll need to file that with the courts within the next few weeks. He previously pleaded not guilty.
Jones’ capital murder trial is scheduled to begin in late April of 2026, but is subject to change if further court proceedings warrant it.
He is accused of kidnapping the teen, assaulting her, killing her and leaving her body in an abandoned home in Toledo. He’s facing more than a dozen charges.
Earlier court filings said Jones admitted to detectives that he dragged Kei’Mani to the Miami Street house where he ultimately killed her. The coroner’s office said she died from a cut to her neck.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-10-08 13:35:00
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