A Florida mother has been sentenced to 100 years in prison after pleading no contest to killing the father of her children as he picked up their two sons from daycare.
Mindy Osteen, 34, entered the plea in connection with the July 25, 2025, shooting death of 37-year-old Christopher Travis Jones outside Auntie Lili’s Child Care Center in Starke, Florida.
A no-contest plea means Osteen did not formally admit guilt but agreed not to dispute the charges against her.
Deputies responding to reports of gunfire found Jones suffering from multiple gunshot wounds outside the daycare, according to the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office. Osteen was taken into custody shortly afterward.
An arrest report cited by local media said Osteen approached Jones after he picked up their two sons and hugged him and the children.
Minutes later, after Jones placed the boys in the back seat and climbed into the driver’s seat, Osteen allegedly pulled a firearm from her backpack and fired three shots into the vehicle.
Jones managed to get out of the car and tried to seek safety inside the daycare, but Osteen continued shooting, according to the report.
Before he died, Jones reportedly identified Osteen as the person who attacked him.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but later died from his injuries.
Osteen pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, multiple firearm offenses, shooting into a vehicle and discharging a weapon within 1,000 feet of a school.
She was sentenced to 100 years behind bars and has also been barred from contacting Jones’ family.
A GoFundMe created after the killing described Jones as a devoted father who had worked to rebuild his life for the sake of 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,” the fundraiser stated.
It also described his life as one of “redemption, love, and unwavering devotion to his children.”
“His transformation was a testament to the power of love — and his boys were the reason behind it all,” the page said.
The fundraiser was created to help cover funeral expenses and provide support for Jones’ sons, who lost their father in the violence outside the daycare.
