Newport Man Gets 30 Years In Shooting Death Of His Cousin

STILLWATER, MN — A Newport man was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison Tuesday for the murder of his cousin in 2023, Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson announced.

Sylvester T. Jones, 39, pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder in May. On Tuesday, Jones was sentenced to 367 months in prison, the maximum presumptive sentence called for by the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines.

Jones was also ordered to pay $8,500 in restitution for reimbursement of his cousin's funeral expenses.

Just before 11 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2023, Washington County deputies were called to the transit center parking lot for an "unknown medical situation." A witness saw McIntyre slumped over in the driver’s seat of an SUV, according to the criminal complaint.

McIntyre had been shot from inside the SUV multiple times, investigators determined.

Investigators worked with local businesses to review outside surveillance footage and track Jones as he left the area, police said.

Investigation into "prior law enforcement contacts" led authorities to a home on the 1700 block of 1st Avenue, just blocks from where the shooting took place. The county SWAT team executed a search warrant at the residence just hours after the shooting, and Jones was taken into custody.

A gun was located on the floor of Jones’s bedroom, police said.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article included an incorrect booking photo of Sylvester T. Jones