Last week a White woman in North Carolina changed her testimony – and admitted that she lied against five Black teens accused of murdering NBA star Chris Paul’s grandfather Nathaniel Jones in 2002.
MTO News confirmed that Nathaniel Jones was beaten and bound to death in his garage, after a suspected carjacking. His official cause of death was a heart attack.
A woman named Jessicah Black came forward and testified against four Black teenagers. Her testimony against the boys, got them all convicted of homicide.
Now Jessicah has come out and admitted that she lied on the teens.
Jessicah sobbed during her hearing in front of the commission in Raleigh and apologized for her part in putting the teens behind bars. “I’m so sorry for what happened … I am so sorry for (Jones’ family’s) loss, and I’m sorry that things went as they did … I’m just sorry.”
Jessicah claims that she was pressured and threatened by detectives to involve the teens in the Jones’ murder.
The teenage boys are now in their 30s- even though they were just 14 and 15 when they were found guilty.
Christopher Levon Bryant and Journal Tolliver were convicted of second-degree murder and then sentenced to a minimum of 14 years in prison, in addition to a separate 13- to 16-month sentence for common law robbery.
Two brothers, Nathaniel Cauthen and Rayshawn Denard Banner are serving life sentences with the possibility of parole following their conviction in Jones’ killing in 2004.
Dorrell Brayboy was also released from prison but was killed in a fatal stabbing outside a grocery store. The four living men have filed a claim in hopes of clearing their name.
A judge has now ordered a new trial for all four men. If prosecutors don’t re-try the case, the men will be released from jail.