Woman sentenced after killing kids’ dad outside daycare with their two children in the car

A woman has been sentenced to 100 years in prison for shooting and killing the father of her children as he was picking them up from daycare.

Mindy Osteen, 34, murdered Christopher Travis Jones, 37, in broad daylight in July 2025 outside Auntie Lili’s Child Care Center in Starke, Florida.

According to an arrest report obtained by WCJB, Jones arrived to pick up his two sons from daycare as normal. Three minutes later, Osteen walked up to Jones with a backpack and hugged him and the children. The father then put the kids in the back of his car before getting into the driver’s seat, where he was shot.

Credit: Bradford County Jail

The mother pulled a gun out of the backpack and opened fire inside the vehicle, with their two children sitting in the back watching. She then fired two more shots as he screamed.

Jones jumped out of the car to escape, but she fired another shot. He then tried to seek shelter in the daycare centre, but the second door was locked. While trapped between the two doors, he was shot three more times. Witnesses could hear the children screaming from the vehicle. The dad was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.

When police arrived, Osteen was going through the contents of Jones’ car. She put her hands in the air and told Bradford County Sheriff’s deputies that the father was to blame for the shooting and claimed she acted in self-defence. “I’m right here, y’all. I done it in self-defence,” she said.

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Credit: GoFundMe

She was arrested immediately, taken to the Bradford County Jail and charged with first-degree murder, cruelty toward a child, weapon possession, and larceny. Osteen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other felony charges and was sentenced to 100 years in prison this week after accepting a plea deal.

“On July 25th, 2025, our hearts were shattered by the unexpected passing of Christopher Travis Jones, a beloved father, son, and friend. Chris was just 37 years old and leaves behind two young boys who were his entire world,” his family said on GoFundMe page, which was launched to raise money for the two children’s future.

“Chris’s journey was one of redemption, love, and unwavering devotion to his children. He worked hard every day to provide for them, to be present, and to become the kind of man they could always look up to. His transformation was a testament to the power of love — and his boys were the reason behind it all.”

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Featured image credit: Bradford County Jail and GoFundMe