Man Who Drove From Utah To Branson With Dead Body In Car Pleads Guilty To Kidnapping:

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Michael Doyel was arrested in Branson

A man from Utah who drove almost two-thousand miles to Branson with the dead body of his ex-girlfriend has pleaded guilty in federal court to kidnapping.

Michael Jerome Doyel, 51, was arrested on April 28, 2008, at the 76 Inn after authorities found the body of 50 year-old Deborah Jones, which had been bound with bungee cords at the hands and feet, stuffed inside a 50 gallon plastic bin inside her own vehicle. 
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 An autopsy determined that Jones, who was a nurse, died of strangulation or positional asphyxiation.  She also had blunt force trauma to her head.

Deborah Jones was found dead in Missouri

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Doyel, who at one time was declared incompetent to stand trial, kidnapped another woman, Patricia Murry, of West Valley City, Utah, and brought her with him to Branson.  During one proceeding in federal court in Salt Lake City, Doyel continuously looked around the room and told the judge that Jones was still alive and would be there any minute.


Doyel also faces state murder charges connected to Jones' death.  As part of the federal plea agreement, Doyel will plead guilty to those charges January 6, 2012, in Salt Lake City.

The victim’s son, Bryan Jones, called Doyel a manipulator who killed his mother when she ended the relationship after discovering Doyel had been lying to her about a number of things.

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"This guy had been completely dishonest his whole life," Bryan Jones, 29, told the judge. "This man is scum ... he’s never even offered an apology."
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Jeff Jones, 27, said Doyel has torn the family apart.
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 If Doyel is still alive after serving his 30 federal sentence, he will then begin serving his sentence for Jones's murder.