Where is Russell Pierce Jones II now? Details explored ahead of 48 Hours on CBS
Russell Pierce Jones II is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence in Oregon for his role in the 2017 murder of 50-year-old Aaron Friar. Multiple reports state that Russell Pierce Jones II conspired with 15-year-old Ellie Friar and her 19-year-old boyfriend, Gavin MacFarlane, who fatally struck Aaron Friar with a baseball bat as he slept.
Although Jones did not commit the murder himself, he admitted to helping the pair wrap the body in a tarp and dump it along a rural embankment in Medford. During police interrogation, he led detectives to the body’s location and later entered a no-contest plea to conspiracy to commit murder and attempted robbery.
He is scheduled for release in 2031. The case is revisited in 48 Hours' latest episode, First Love, Then Murder, airing April 19, 2025, which highlights the investigation, interrogations, and legal outcomes. Russell Pierce Jones II’s involvement in the case is further explored in the broader tragedy of the Friar family.
Ellie said she planned to run away, and that Russell Pierce Jones II arrived with a machete
In October 2017, residents of Medford, Oregon, were left shocked after 15-year-old Ellie Friar and her 19-year-old boyfriend, Gavin MacFarlane, were connected to the killing of her father, Aaron Friar. As per multiple reports, Friar was bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat while asleep on the couch, and his body was later discovered near a remote embankment.
As per a Fox News report dated October 6, 2017, Ellie was in a relationship with Gavin MacFarlane, a situation that reportedly created conflict within her household. Investigators later uncovered that Ellie, MacFarlane, and 22-year-old Russell Pierce Jones II conspired to kill her father after he prohibited the relationship.
Ellie initially told investigators that Jones showed up with a machete and attacked her father, and she ran away upon hearing the screams. However, this version of the events didn’t hold up.
Russell Pierce Jones II confesses to helping move the body
According to a CBS News report dated April 18, 2025, lead investigator Bill Ford recalled how Jones eventually led detectives to the dump site during a cigarette break outside the police station. Bill Ford stated:
“I said, 'Can you take us to Aaron?' And he didn't beat an eye. He's just like, 'Yeah, I'll take you to him.'"
Jones claimed MacFarlane carried out the attack using a baseball bat while Aaron slept. He admitted to assisting in wrapping the body and transporting it using the victim's vehicle.
An autopsy later confirmed Aaron Friar died of blunt force trauma, aligning with Jones' account and disproving Ellie's claim about a machete. MacFarlane confessed during questioning and reenacted the murder. He said he believed Ellie was being abused by her father, although police found no evidence of either.
As per an Oxygen.com report dated March 3, 2024, MacFarlane alleged that Ellie instructed him:
“Go out in the front room, take him out, and text me and let me know when it’s done.”
The crime was premeditated. Police later found a written plan, including a possible second murder plot targeting Jones' father.
Sentencing and aftermath
MacFarlane pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison, with parole eligibility in 2043. Ellie Friar accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 25 years for conspiracy to commit murder and burglary, eligible for parole in 2041. Russell Pierce Jones II pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit murder and attempted robbery. He received a 15-year sentence.
The case was later profiled in 48 Hours under the episode First Love, Then Murder, highlighting how youthful infatuation and manipulation led to a carefully planned killing. The episode also underscored the emotional toll on Aaron Friar’s younger daughters, who were home when the murder took place.
Stay tuned for more updates.
