Awesome - Mom and Four Kids Slept in Car, Then Cops Made an Unexpected Move

Police Are Getting Closer

During his first interrogation, Jones denied knowing Paige altogether. But during a second interrogation about his whereabouts on the night of the murder, he changed his initial story in which he said he went to Walmart to buy a soda, ultimately denying being in Walmart at all.


Source: The Denver Post

When dogs were taken to Paige’s car, they alerted the police of Jones’ smell in the front seat, but he continued to deny he went anywhere with her. All the proof the police had was not enough to jail him, though, so when Jones initially went for trial, he was set free.



This Week in History (9/6- 9/12)



No Body, No Conviction

One of the main reasons Jones was allowed to go free was the fact that no body had been discovered until 2012. It had been very difficult for the prosecution to convict him in the absence of a body, so even though there was enough evidence against him, he was allowed to walk.


Source: KKCO

“Certainly, you can’t bring this to a conclusion, a trial, what have you — the absence of the body certainly muddies that water,” said Paige’s father after Jones was allowed to walk as a free man.











Finding the Body Changed Everything

In the spring of 2012, a hiker who was exploring a creek bed located approximately 60 miles south of the last place the police and searchers had previously found Paige’s business cards scattered along the highway, stumbled upon human remains.


Source: The Denver Post

“A hiker in the Wells Gulch area just happened by a human skull, and when they unearthed it, it had duct tape that was sort of around the jawline area and around the back of the head,” said Dan Rubinstein.


Forensics Are Inconclusive

Even though the police and forensic investigators quickly determined that the human remains were indeed those of Paige Birgfeld, the crime scene provided a gruesome but incomplete picture, so no one was exactly sure how Paige died. More bones were scattered across a mile-long stretch, so determining exactly how Paige met her end was impossible.



Source: Ineresticle

“The reality is we don’t know exactly how Paige died,” said Dan Rubinstein in a later interview. “What we do know is that she was kidnapped, and we know that because of the items that were strewn down Highway 50, and we know that because of the duct tape. You don’t duct tape a person who is already deceased.”


The Family Is Relieved

Even though the discovery of the body meant that there was absolutely no hope for Paige to be found alive, her family was relieved because they finally got closer. Deep in their hearts, they already knew Paige was dead, but not having proof was indeed very difficult to cope with.



Source: Daily Mail

This was also the time for the police to reopen the investigation in the case of Lester Jones because he did not have a solid alibi for his whereabouts on the night of the murder. Even though he did not have an apparent reason for killing Paige, his proximity to the place where she was found was enough for the police to proceed to trial.



The First Trial

Paige’s family got their closure, but they were not keen to see their mother’s and daughter’s murderer brought to justice. When Lester Jones was first brought to trial, it had been over nine years since Paige disappeared. In 2016, Jones first stood trial for both kidnapping and murder.



Source: People.com

He continued to insist that he was not guilty and that he had no reason at all to kill Paige, but his former wife, Lisa Nance, came forward to claim that he was an abusive man with a history of violence that must have killed Paige because she knew too much and he didn’t want his current wife to find out that he was paying escorts for massages. Her testimony was enough for the police to bring back the charges against Jones.



The Jury Surprises Everyone

In September 2016, Lester Jones went to trial for the kidnapping and murder of Paige Birgfeld, but everyone was in for a surprise. The result was a mistrial because the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. Johnson was charged with first and second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, and second-degree arson, but he was allowed to walk because of a hung jury.


Source: KJCT

For the first time, attorneys spent approximately six weeks presenting testimony from various witnesses, and according to KREX, “Jones’ lawyers focused their final argument on five other men who they say could be responsible for Birgfeld’s murder, but were not pursued because of what defense attorneys call a deficient investigation conducted by the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.”




A Hung Jury

Jurors were ordered by Chief District Judge Brian Flynn to keep deliberating after they initially decided that they couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict. A note from the jury said, “We are unable to come to a unanimous decision. The jury feels we have exhausted our choices.”



Source: CBS Denver

After two more hours of deliberation, the 12 jurors decided to send another note to the court to inform that “The jury remains in the same position. … We do not feel any further discussion will change our current state.” It was that moment that district attorney Dan Rubinstein decided that the best course of action would be a mistrial.



The Prosecution Doesn’t Rest

The fact that Lester Jones was allowed to walk free thanks to a mistrial didn’t mean that District Attorney Rubinstein gave up the case. In December 2016, a second trial began with a new jury. The first one had been a huge blow to Paige’s family, but the prosecution managed to arrange a second trial quickly to bring them justice.


Source: NBC News

At the beginning of the second trial, Jones was still adamant he had nothing to do the kidnapping and murder of Paige Birgfeld. However, the prosecution reminded the court that everything pointed out in his direction, starting from the fact that he was working opposite the place where Paige’s car was found and that he had no alibi for the night of the murder.



The Final Verdict

The second time around the jury was much more decisive and found Lester Jones, who was 65 at the time, guilty of murder and kidnapping. At the sentencing that took place right before Christmas, Jones was given life in prison without the chance of parole.


Source: Denver7

Paige’s family finally got the justice they deserved even though it took nine years and two trials to get to that result. “What happens to him doesn’t bring Paige back,” said Frank Birgfeld after the verdict. “If he wanted to make a deal and skip prison and bring her back, I’d take it.”




Where Is Paige’s Family Now?

Paige’s three children are currently living with their father on the East Coast and are keeping in touch with their grandfather. During the trial, Paige’s daughter, Jess Dixon, the stand to testify and describe her mother as a person who did everything for her kids.


Source: KJCT

She presented a lot of details from the day her mother disappeared. “We had been trying to get her back on the phone and it wasn’t working, and we weren’t sure what to do at the time. We were young and our au pair didn’t know the situation,” Jess said. “Our mom was a very kind lady. She did everything for her kids.”



Why Did Lester Jones Kill Paige?

Even though he was sent away for life for the kidnapping and murder of Paige Birgfeld, Lester Jones continued to argue that he was innocent, and no one knows for sure why he killed Paige. According to his ex-wife, he may have done so to conceal the fact that he was using Paige’s escort service.


Source: Law & Crime

That’s just a supposition though, and we may never find out the exact reason for which Paige lost her life, neither the way she died. Still, even without this information, the fact that the murderer was convicted brought some closure to her family.


A Secret Life Led to the Destruction of a Family

The case that was opened by the prosecution following the death of Paige Birgfeld revealed more about her than she ever hoped her family would know. Paige never intended for her parents and children to find out that she was earning a living managing an escort service.


Source: Star Herald

However, everyone who knew her still remembers that she was a kind and loving mother who only took a dark turn because she wanted to make sure her kids had a better life. Sadly, her efforts were cruelly stopped, and she left three children alone in the world. They all remember her as a wonderful mom and wish things were different.


From Ideal Mother to Escort Service Owner

Paige Birgfeld lived in the humble town of Grand Junction, Colorado, and in the eyes of everyone who knew her, she was the picture-perfect soccer mom. Everyone who knew her liked her, but no one suspected she was leading a double life.


Source: NBC News

There were, of course, rumors that she was a divorced mom because her second husband was abusive, but that didn’t change anyone’s opinion about her. Still, as we know from books, movies, and real life, no one is that perfect, and we all have something to hide. In Paige’s case, it was a dark secret that would cost her her life.


Everyone Searched for Her

Following her disappearance, everyone was worried and searched for Paige, which proved that she was a missed member of the community. The police initially searched only the Grand Junction area where Paige lived, but then extended the search to the whole Mesa County.


Source: The Denver Post

Even though Paige’s family and friends initially believed that she would soon return home, the police didn’t want to leave anything to chance, and they scoured the terrain that was lush with vegetation for weeks, without success though.



Hundreds of Volunteers

Proving once more that everyone cared for Paige, more than 100 volunteers join the Birgfeld family in a frantic search for the mother of three. No one was really sure what they were searching for, but everyone hoped they would find Paige alive. After the business cards were found on the highway, Paige’s dark secret was revealed.


Source: Mirror

Even though her family and the entire community were a bit shocked to find out that Paige managed an escort service, they continued to believe she was a wonderful mother and understood that all she did was for the wellbeing of her children. A shadow was cast over her image, but it didn’t affect her reputation as a mother.


A Man Called Jim

In the early stages of the investigation, the police had reason to believe that a man called Jim was talking often with Paige on the phone. But it was almost impossible to trace him because he used a prepaid phone to call her. In the beginning, no one suspected why that was.


Source: Daily Mail

Because the phone was prepaid, there was no way to tie a real name or credit card to it, so the name Jim could very well have been a false one. But after investigating all the calls, even after the phone died out, the police were able to find out that the man called Jim was, in fact, Lester Jones.


The Family Did Not Cope Well with Paige’s Disappearance

Paige’s kids were desperate for answers after their mother disappeared without a trace. Paige’s sister, Callie, tried to comfort her niece who kept asking where her mom was, saying “Wherever she is, she wants to be with you right now.”


Source: NBC News

After the body was discovered, the family got some closure, but they were still terribly affected by the fact that she had been dead for years and left to rot in the woods. When the skeletal remains were found, Paige had to be identified from her dental records.



Media Coverage

The kidnapping and murder of Paige Birgfeld caught the attention of the national and international press, with articles being published constantly about the search and then the trial of Lester Jones. The entire world watched as the criminal was brought to justice.


Source: CBS News

In 2018, “Betrayed – Death by Desire” was released by the Discovery Channel as part of their murder investigations series. The episode focused on Paige’s life and the dark secret that would lead to her untimely death. It also detailed the trial and sentence given to Lester Jones.



A Life Destroyed

It took nine years and two trials for the police and prosecution to find the murderer of Paige Birgfeld and bring him to face justice. Paige’s family had to deal with both her disappearance and the fact that they didn’t know whether she was alive or not for years.


Source: HyperActivz

The secret life Paige was leading eventually destroyed everything she loved and worked so hard for. But most of the people who knew her argued that she was cruelly snatched from her family when all she did was do everything in her power to offer her kids a good life.