Man convicted in 2006 Detroit murder may be innocent - Fox 2 News Headlines

By Alexis Wiley
Fox 2 News Reporter

DETROIT (WJBK) -- New evidence may prove an innocent man is serving a life sentence for murder.  Meanwhile, one witness is breaking his silence.

33-year-old Elroy Lucky Jones was convicted of murdering a man inside a now vacant apartment building on Detroit's east side in June 2006.

A man, who we are not identifying, said he saw the killer and believes Jones, who is in his sixth year of a life sentence, is the wrong guy.

"I was in the building across the street looking out the back bedroom and I heard gunfire erupt," he said.  "The brother had made it out and then the gunman leaned out the window with an automatic weapon and was shooting at him as he was running down the sidewalk.  His entire torso, he was wearing a white T-shirt, he leaned out the window and he was shooting at him."

How sure is he that Jones was not the man he saw leaning out of that window with an AK-47?

"I'm 100 percent sure.  When I was in court and they brought Elroy in there, I immediately said to the prosecutor that I don't think this is the guy because Elroy was a big guy and I knew he couldn't have got his entire torso out that window."

But this witnesses' testimony wasn't enough to convince a jury.  Another eyewitness identified Jones as the shooter and he was convicted of murder.

After the conviction was overturned when trial transcripts were stolen, Jones was tried and convicted again, but his attorney, Craig Tank, said just months ago police dropped a bombshell.  According to a motion filed Wednesday, investigators obtained the name of a person who claims he drove the shooter to the apartment and he identified another man as the shooter. Investigators then re-interviewed witnesses and almost all of them ID'ed the same guy.

"There's someone that's purportedly committed a murder here that's been running around for the last seven years," said Tank.  "It should be repulsive to anybody's sense of justice."

Now he's demanding the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office turn over the evidence to prove Elroy Jones does not belong in jail.

That request for evidence will be heard by a judge next Friday.