This is the heroic moment a grandmother encouraged her 14-year-old grandson to admit to a heinous crime that is likely to result in him being imprisoned for years.
Jesse Stone, also known as ‘Randy John,’ from Reddick, Florida, was arrested in June after sexually assaulting a 91-year-old woman.
He has been named publicly by police despite his age because he is being charged as an adult.
Disturbing court documents reveal how he ‘pounced’ on his victim then punched her in the face.
Stone denied the allegations repeatedly when confronted by police.
But when alone with his grandmother in an interview room, she pressed him to tell the truth.
Video of that emotional exchange has been released following his guilty plea.
It shows his grandmother, who has not been named publicly, urging him to come clean after lying to police.
‘She deserves to know the truth, and deep down you know it. Personally, I am finding it hard to believe. It’s a terrible act… a terrible act,’ she expressed, though he maintained his innocence, claiming that he was incapable of committing such a crime.
‘It’s also difficult for me to believe. Really difficult. I find it hard to believe that you could do something like this. But how many times have you been caught lying?’ the grandmother questioned.
‘This woman deserves to have the truth, she deserves it and you know that.’
‘Look at her! Look at her face!” she demanded, pointing to evidence photos of the woman’s injuries.
The grandmother continued: ‘I’ve never seen you hurt anybody.
‘What the hell are you doing outside at that time of night, Randy John? It doesn’t make any sense.’
Despite his insistence on being an ‘outdoorsy person,’ she countered, ‘You’re not an outdoorsy person! You’re a sit in front of the TV kind of guy!
‘I hope and pray you did not do this to this woman. I hope and pray you did not do this because this is horrific. This is a human being and she deserves justice, she does.’
‘If this were to happen to your sister, what would you do? If you know anything about this, Randy John, for her at least, if you care about her, tell the truth,’ she before leaving the room.
‘Tell the truth. Randy John, you’ve lied about stuff before.’
It was then that Stone started to buckle. He admitted to visiting the victim’s home previously.
A DNA evidence match sealed his fate and he was arrested.
At earlier points in the view, he tried repeatedly to deny that he’d attacked the woman.
‘It’s impossible for my DNA to be on her underwear,’ Stone insisted.
The investigators then showed him a picture of the badly beaten victim.
‘Oh my god, holy cow,’ Stone’s grandmother said, dismayed.
‘We know what happened. What I want, in your own words, everything that went on that night.
‘I know what happened and it’s only going to help you for you to be honest with me about what happened,’ the investigators pressed.
Stone, police said, didn’t expect the victim to be awake when he broke into the home and panicked, leading him to attack her.
While the confession itself is redacted, authorities confirmed that he admitted to viewing pornography on the victim’s iPad prior to the assault.
Stone, charged as an adult, pleaded guilty last year to two counts: sexual assault of a minor and burglary with battery.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods issued a detailed statement reflecting on the case and the ‘unimaginable’ nature of the case.
‘It came as a shock that any individual would commit such an act on a 91-year-old, but it is truly disturbing when we see the young age of the arrestee,’ the statement read.
‘Although I firmly believe he should be held accountable for his crime, as a father, my compassion goes out to his family.
‘Hopefully his arrest will lead to getting him help that prevents any further such acts.’
He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 7th.
