Convictions Overturned in Case of Chris Paul’s Grandfather’s Death
A North Carolina judge has overturned the convictions of four men related to the death of Nathaniel Jones, grandfather of basketball star Chris Paul, which occurred in 2002. State prosecutors are now evaluating the next steps, including the possibility of appealing the decision.
The High Court judge, Robert Broadie, overturned and dismissed the convictions late last week, after a hearing held in January in Forsyth County.Chris Paul era estudiante de secundaria en 2002 cuando su abuelo, Nathaniel Jones, fue atado y agredido, sufriendo posteriormente un ataque cardíaco que le causó la muerte. Las condenas contra los cuatro hombres implicados en su muerte han sido ahora anuladas.
Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated via Getty ImagesNathaniel Arnold Cauthen, Rayshawn Denard Banner, Christopher Levon Bryant, and Jermal Matthew Tolliver were found guilty in trials held in 2004 or 2005 for the death of Nathaniel Jones. The four were between 14 and 15 years old when they were arrested along with another teenager.
Jones, 61, died of a heart attack outside his home in Winston-Salem, after being tied up, beaten, and robbed.
A three-judge panel had previously denied the defendants’ claims of innocence after a hearing in 2022.
However, Broadie’s order, filed on Friday, cited the retracted testimony of a key witness, poor legal representation, and questionable actions by the police. DNA profiles also “serve to corroborate the defendants’ claims that their confessions were false” and that “they were not present at the crime scene,” the judge wrote.
Paul, Jones’ grandson, was a prominent high school basketball player at the time of the assault and had committed to play at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. Paul, now 40 years old, is a 12-time NBA All-Star and currently plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.
The office of Attorney General Jeff Jackson, whose lawyers defend criminal cases on appeal, asked the state Court of Appeals on Monday to halt the execution of Broadie’s order “while we review it and consider next steps,” said spokeswoman Nazneen Ahmed.
Cauthen and his brother, Banner, were convicted of first-degree murder and are serving life sentences. Bryant, Tolliver, and Dorrell Brayboy were convicted of second-degree murder and were released after serving their sentences. Brayboy was fatally stabbed outside a supermarket in Winston-Salem in 2019.
The request on Monday by a state prosecutor stated that, without action, Cauthen and Banner “will be released into the community without this Court having the opportunity to hear and determine the State’s issues on appeal”.
Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill criticized Broadie’s ruling, particularly his dismissals of the cases “with prejudice,” which could make it difficult to appeal.
I have never seen that happen in a court of law.
Jim O’Neill
Christine Mumma, a lawyer at Banner and Cauthen, responded to the criticisms of the judge’s ruling.
If the General Assembly did not want judges to have the authority to dismiss with prejudice, they would not have given them that authority. Nor would they have passed laws that recognize that if charges are dismissed with prejudice, there is no right of appeal.
Christine Mumma
Mumma is the executive director of the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence, a non-profit organization that helps investigate and litigate innocence claims.
