Jerome Jones, a high-ranking member of the notorious “Black Rain” drug crew, has admitted to his role in three cold case murders that haunted Queens for over three decades. Jones, now 60, pleaded guilty at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn to murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking. His plea comes in connection with the 1991 slaying of Oscar Flow and his involvement in the 1992 murders of Robert Arroyo and Dorothy Taylor.
Jones’ admission brings closure to cases that had long gone cold, with investigators tirelessly working to connect the dots in a web of violence that plagued Queens in the late 80s and early 90s. The “Black Rain” gang, infamous for its drug operations on Rockaway Boulevard, left a trail of devastation in its wake, fueled by the sale of heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine under various street names.
Jones was a high-ranking member of a Queens-based crew, known as “Black Rain,” that sold narcotics at several locations on Rockaway Boulevard in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The crew trafficked massive quantities of drugs, selling heroin under the brand name “Black Rain,” cocaine under the brand name “White Lightning” and crack cocaine under the brand name “Thunder.” In the early 1990s, a single Black Rain drug spot brought in approximately $15,000 per day in narcotics sales. To protect its profitable operation, the gang committed serious acts of violence, including murder.
Oscar Flow was gunned down in Springfield Gardens in December 1991 after Jones discovered he had stolen from the crew. The brutality continued in 1992, when Jones ordered the killing of Robert Arroyo, a rival he suspected of being a police informant. The first attempt to take Arroyo’s life resulted in the mistaken shooting of another man, who survived his injuries. Arroyo wasn’t so lucky on September 8, 1992, when Jones’ recruits finally caught up to him and executed him in broad daylight on a crowded street.
The final victim, Dorothy Taylor, met a similar fate in November 1992. Jones blamed her for the closure of a drug spot after she failed to pay rent, and he paid a hitman to take her life. Taylor was ambushed in her own driveway and shot to death.
Jerome Jones now faces a potential sentence of 20 years to life in prison. His guilty plea is a testament to the unrelenting efforts of law enforcement agencies to solve even the coldest of cases and deliver justice to the victims and their families.
“After over 30 years, Jones has finally admitted his role in the calculated murders of three individuals,” said United States Attorney Breon Peace. “Despite the passage of time, my office persisted in pursuing all leads to seek justice for the victims and their families. This case should stand as a reminder that even when the trail appears to have gone cold, we will never waver from our mission of holding wrongdoers, especially violent actors, accountable.”
