Jones abducted McBride from Goodfellow Air Force Base and raped her at his house before bludgeoning her to death under a highway bridge in Coke County.

He had, on another occasion, sexually assaulted his ex-wife Sandra Lane and was arrested on March 1, and the ensuing police investigation found that he was also responsible for raping and murdering McBride.

Mark Miller of Newsweek characterized Jones' case as unusual due to his Gulf War syndrome defense strategy.

[1] On February 18, 1995, 44-year old Louis Jones drove onto Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas, and kidnapped Private Tracie Joy McBride,[2] a 19-year old from Centerville, Minnesota.

[1] McBride died under a bridge,[5] off U.S. Route 277 in Coke County, Texas, about 27 miles (43 km) north of San Angelo.

"[9] Jones likely forced McBride to walk to the point where she was killed; only mud was found on her boots, and no scuff marks were present.

[13] Jones was arrested on March 1[5] by the San Angelo Police Department for sexually assaulting his ex-wife, Staff Sergeant Sandra Lane, after she filed a complaint with the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations (OSI).

[16] McBride's body was autopsied by Garavaglia at the Bexar County Forensic Science Center in San Antonio, Texas.

[21] Lane filed an official complaint with the OSI on March 1, 1995, stating that, on February 16 of that year,[6] Jones had kidnapped her, made her take money out of her bank account, and committed sexual assault against her while at his residence.

[13] Tracie Joy McBride (May 27, 1975 – February 19, 1995[26]), a graduate of Centennial High School in Circle Pines, Minnesota,[27][28] was at the base for advanced intelligence training for a two-week period.

[27] McBride joined the United States Army after her high school graduation,[30] intending to fund her university education; she hoped to have her degree completed prior to the end of her tour of duty.

[13] Jones stated that he committed the crime due to trauma he received during his military duties,[25] indicative of Gulf War syndrome.

The jury rejected two other alleged statutory aggravating circumstances: Jones had knowingly put lives other than that of McBride at risk and the murder was premeditated.

[6][25] On June 11, 1996, Jones was entered into the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) as prisoner #999195 under an agreement with federal authorities.

[38] On July 13, 1999, he was moved into federal custody,[39] to the newly opened men's death row at U.S. Penitentiary, Terre Haute.

Floyd contacted University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center epidemiology department head, Dr. Robert Haley, who published the first major studies related to Gulf War syndrome, and asked him to review his client's medical records; Haley argued that Jones had sustained brain damage and that it "was responsible for the personality changes that contributed significantly to the tragic events of his crime.

"[1] U.S. senator Kay Bailey Hutchison argued that Jones should have his brain scanned to check for any damage before any death sentence would be carried out.

[15] After Jones's execution, his attorney read a written statement from him: "I accept full responsibility for the pain, anguish and the suffering I caused the McBrides for having taken Tracie from them."

[47] In Human Behavior in the Social Environment: A Macro, National, and International Perspective, author Rudolph Alexander Jr. wrote that experiences of soldiers during the 2000s Iraq War, in which over 3,700 coming back from the war in 2005 stated that they had fears that they may lose control of themselves or harm another person and that 1,700 reported believing that they were better off dead and considered hurting themselves, "provide support for Jones' claims.