Arizona Death Row Inmate Walks Free After 29 Years in Prison
Barry Lee Jones was ordered released from prison Thursday after nearly three decades of incarceration for a crime that state prosecutors agreed he did not commit.
An Arizona man was ordered released from prison Thursday after nearly three decades of incarceration for a crime that state prosecutors agreed he did not commit.
Barry Lee Jones, now 64, was sentenced to death in 1995 after being convicted on charges of first-degree murder, sexual assault and three counts of child abuse in connection with the 1994 death of his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter, according to the court order cited by the Associated Press.Prosecutors had previously claimed the girl was in Jones’ care when she died and that he was responsible for the internal traumatic injuries that caused her death.
However, a Pima County judge ordered Jones' release this week after Jones accepted a plea deal for second-degree murder that stated reevaluated medical evidence proved Jones didn't cause the girl’s injuries. He did, however, neglect to get her medical care the night before she died, despite knowing how sick she was feeling, the court order states, per the AP.
Jones and his legal team reportedly said his court-appointed lawyer at the time had failed to investigate and provide medical findings that argued against the prosecution’s timeline.
