CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The man suspected of murdering a Chesterfield woman and her three children inside their home last November is now facing a dozen felony charges in a Chesterfield court.
Shortly before 5 a.m. on Nov. 18, 2022, Chesterfield Police officers responded to the 4200 block of Laurel Oak Road for a reported disturbance at a home.
When they arrived, they went into the home for a welfare check and found 39-year-old JoAnna M. Cottle, and her three children, 13-year-old Kaelyn M. Parson, 4-year-old Kinsey M. Cottle and 4-year-old Jayson L. Cottle. All four had been shot and were dead on the scene.
After investigating, police identified the suspect as 35-year-old Jonah L. Adams of Waldorf, Maryland. According to police, Adams had a previous relationship with Cottle and was the father of her two youngest children.
At the time, Chesterfield Police obtained warrants for his arrest on four counts of first-degree murder.
Adams now faces 12 felony charges in the Chesterfield Circuit Court in connection to the murder of Cottle and her children.
As of Wednesday, May 24, Adams faces four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated murder of multiple people, three counts of aggravated murder of a person under the age of 14 by a person over the age of 21, four counts of using a firearm to commit a felony and four counts of using a sawed-off gun in a crime.
His hearing date is set for July 14, 2023.
Adams was originally charged in the Chesterfield Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court before his case was moved to Chesterfield Circuit Court.
