Lawyers for dad of 5 slain SC kids want gag order

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Attorneys for a South Carolina father who authorities said killed his five children want a gag order in the case.

Documents obtained by local media outlets show attorneys for Timothy Ray Jones Jr. have asked a judge to order pretrial statements by prosecutors, law enforcement officials and potential witnesses kept from the public.

Deputies think Jones took his children to their Lexington home and killed them after picking them up from school Aug. 28. Authorities say he later dumped the bodies on a remote hillside near Camden, Alabama.

Jones is charged with five counts of murder and is next scheduled in court Nov. 13. Among the things defense attorneys say should not be shared publicly before trial include recordings of 911 calls, coroners reports and Jones’ mental health records.