A Charlotte man was sentenced this week for gunning down 19-year-old Joelle “JoJo” Clesca inside a Wingstop on Beatties Ford Road, closing out a case that began with a masked gunman and ended with the victim’s own grandfather offering forgiveness in open court. Justin Jones pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea deal, and as part of that agreement prosecutors dismissed a conspiracy charge against him.
According to WBTV, Jones was sentenced to 21 to 25 years in prison, though he will receive credit for just over a year already served in jail. A separate WSOC headline described the sentence as at least 13 years, a minimum consistent with a term of 21 to 25 years.
Clesca was shot and killed on Oct. 12, 2025, inside the Wingstop on Beatties Ford Road in northwest Charlotte, per the same account from wsoctv.com. Prosecutors said Jones entered the restaurant wearing a mask, shot Clesca once in the chest, and fled.
Prosecutors Detail Messages and a Gun Sale
In court, prosecutors said Jones had sent messages beforehand stating he was going to “catch a body at Wingstop” and had described Clesca as “an opp,” according to WBTV. Prosecutors also told the court that Jones tried to sell a Glock 19 a few days after the murder…