SEATTLE (AP) — A state appeals court has ordered a new hearing to evaluate a man’s claims that he was wrongly convicted in the shooting of a Washington state trooper who later became a sheriff.
Martin Jones is serving a 50-year sentence after being convicted of shooting Scott Johnson in 2010 in the town of Long Beach along the Washington coast. Johnson was elected sheriff after the shooting and served two terms before losing a re-election bid last fall.
Jones’ attorney requested a new trial two years ago, citing new evidence that included a sworn declaration from Peter Boer, a local drug dealer, that on the night of the shooting, his brother Nicholas, a repeat felon, confessed to it and asked him to dispose of gun parts. Several people had also called police to say that a composite sketch of the suspect that aired on television news closely resembled Nick Boer.
The lone witness to the shooting — a tow-truck driver — told police Jones wasn’t the culprit, but Johnson said he was.
On Thursday, a three-judge panel said a superior court judge should evaluate whether the new evidence is admissible in court, and if so, whether Jones’ conviction should be overturned.