Flynn Zachary Jones (Shasta County Sheriff’s Office).
A 34-year-old California man will spend nearly two decades in prison for stabbing another man eight times with a knife, “nicking his heart, puncturing his lung and nearly disemboweling him,” prosecutors said.
Flynn Zachary Jones pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious bodily injury, the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday. On Feb. 7, a judge sentenced Jones to 17 years in prison. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office said at the time that the victim’s sister called 911 just before 1 a.m. on May 13, 2024, to report her brother had been stabbed multiple times at his home in the 17000 block of Paradise Lane in Redding.
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Witnesses identified Jones as the suspect. They told cops he fled on foot. Deputies caught up to Jones in the 1200 block of Lake Boulevard, about a half-mile from the stabbing location. Blood covered his clothes and body. When deputies questioned him, he tried to blame his condition on a fall. However, deputies found no evidence he actually suffered a fall. He denied any involvement in the stabbing. Cops took him into custody where he originally faced an attempted murder charge.
Paramedics rushed the 58-year-old victim to the hospital suffering from stab wounds to the upper body and abdomen. Deputies described his injuries as non-life-threatening.
Detectives later learned that Jones came to the victim’s home and attacked him when he came outside. Authorities never divulged a motive or said how the victim and suspect knew each other. Witnesses on the scene could not tell deputies why Jones stabbed the victim. Prosecutors said Jones had a prior strike, meaning he previously had been convicted of a serious felony.
