By Richard Brooks
The Press Enterprise
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A 47-year-old San Bernardino woman is behind bars on suspicion of slaying her husband, a long-time television and computer repairman and gun dealer.
Laurie Jean Cone was arrested at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and booked for investigation of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, jail records show.
Police are withholding all information about the circumstances leading to her arrest but in a news release stated, “The motive for the attack appears to be financial gain.”
The investigation began at 4:23 a.m. Monday when Cone and her daughter reported the discovery of 64-year-old John Joseph Cone, who was shot to death in the building where he had lived and operated D/C Radio-TV in the 2100 block of North Sierra Way.
Neighboring police agencies were told that the victim’s white 2003 Ford F150 quad-cab pickup and 15 to 20 guns were missing.
Thursday morning, San Bernardino police spokesman Lt. Paul Williams said police were still seeking missing items of evidence, which he did not describe.
Williams also declined to say who else might be involved in the conspiracy to kill the victim, who was known to neighbors as “Jack” Cone.
Neighbors have said Cone long ago closed his radio and television repair business. In recent years, they said, he sold guns - some neighbors said he had a federal firearms dealer’s license - and repaired computers.
The victim’s home is surrounded by a tall security fence with an electrically operated gate. The yard is dotted with three large satellite dishes and a for-sale sign.
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