Venice Dog Park Killer and Sex Offender Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder

A registered sex offender was convicted of first-degree murder for fatally shooting a homeless man who intervened to protect a woman at a Venice Beach dog park last year. Tyrone Jones was found guilty this week in the April 2025 killing of 29-year-old Zackery Melton at the Westminster Dog Park, according to Melton’s mother and reports in LA Magazine.

Melton, who was known locally as “Turdle,” stepped in during an argument between Jones and a woman Jones had allegedly been abusing and holding captive. Jones left the park, retrieved a gun from his nearby apartment and returned to shoot Melton in the head in the parking lot at 1243 Pacific Avenue.

Webb told LA Magazine that her son “died protecting a woman” and called him a hero. Jones was also convicted on multiple other charges, including kidnapping, false imprisonment, traumatic injury to a partner, two counts of domestic violence, and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, Webb said in a Facebook post.

Jones, who had prior human trafficking convictions, had a history of violence toward the woman, according to accounts from the case. After the shooting, he fled but later returned to the scene, Webb said.

Melton’s friends found him lying in the parking lot, where he died in their arms roughly an hour after the shooting. Sentencing, including victim impact statements, is scheduled for June 18.

The case drew significant attention at the time, with SWAT officers and LAPD helicopters responding to the scene near the popular dog park, which at the time had a large homeless encampment.