WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Day four of hearings for the four men convicted of killing NBA star Chris Paul's grandfather are underway.
On Thursday, defense lawyers focused on false confessions.
The three-judge panel heard from false confession expert, Dr. Hayley Cleary, who specializes in police interrogation of juveniles and adolescent development in legal contexts.
Here's what our reporter, Jenna Kurzyna, is reporting from inside the courtroom:
- Jermal Tolliver, one of the convicted men who was 15 at the time of the killing, took the stand. He was released from prison in 2016. He is now 34 years old.
- Chris Paul's father, Charles, is at the hearing Thursday.
- The judges are listening to different clips of the interrogations.
- Cleary is being cross-examined.
Jermal Tolliver's testimony:
- He said he did not have anything to do with the robbery or murder of Jones.
- On the stand, Tolliver said he believes he was expelled from school and spent time at home at the time of the murder.
- He and Christopher Bryant were best friends at the time.
- Tolliver said as a teenager he got into trouble for breaking into a car, "Probably stealing. It's been so long I can’t remember,” he said. “Stealing candy bars, gas station stuff."
- He said he never committed a robbery and had never been in handcuffs until this crime.
- He said he met Jessicah Black – a key witness who recanted her statement – not too long before the incident. Tolliver said they used to smoke weed together and she drove them around a lot.
- Tolliver said he doesn't remember much they did that day, but he said he knows he was with Bryant and took a ride with Black later that day.
- Tolliver said there were five guys with Black. He said they drove around, and the police were already at Jones' house.
- According to Tolliver’s testimony, he saw flashing lights and a crowd of people. He said he got out of the car and walked (to Jones' house) where he saw the body lying out with a cover over it. He said he asked someone what happened.
He said he didn’t talk to police that night, and a few of the detectives knew him and saw him but no one talked to him.
Tolliver said they left, made a stop at Black’s mother’s house then hung out at a bowling alley. He later heard about Jones’ killing on the news.
Paul's grandfather, 61-year-old Nathaniel Jones, was found beaten to death in the carport of his Winston-Salem home in November 2002 - one day after he'd seen his grandson commit to playing basketball for Wake Forest University.
Two years after the killing, brothers Rayshawn Banner and Nathaniel Cauthen were convicted of murder and robbery.
In 2005, police arrested three others.
All five were teenagers at the time of Jones' death, and all have stood by their innocence. They'd later be known as the 'Winston-Salem 5.'
One of the men convicted, Dorrell Brayboy, died in 2019. He was stabbed shortly after he was released from prison. His record could be expunged posthumously, but only if the four other defendants are found innocent.
In 2020, an eight-member panel of the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission held a hearing to review the claims.
At that hearing, a key witness recanted her testimony, saying she lied in court because she was coerced by law enforcement.
The commission found sufficient evidence of innocence to have the case reviewed, and as a result, the exoneration hearings began Monday in Winston-Salem.
Who are the Winston-Salem 5 and where are they now?
- Brothers Nathaniel Cauthen and Rayshawn Banner are still incarcerated. Both were sentenced to life in prison. During the initial trial, they were found guilty of first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon.
- Christopher Bryant and Jermal Tolliver spent 12 years in prison before being released in recent years. During the initial trial, they were found guilty of second-degree murder and common law robbery.
- Dorrell Brayboy died in a stabbing in 2019 following his release from prison.
Here's a recap of each day of the hearing:
Wednesday: An attorney for the Innocence Commission took the stand for the third day in a row. She said she found inconsistencies in the initial investigation, including evidence of fingerprints lifted from Jones' car the day of the murder. She said none of the fingerprints matched those of the convicted teens.
RELATED: Day 3: Exoneration hearing continues for men convicted of killing Nathaniel Jones in Winston-Salem
Tuesday: A forensic psychologist said the men, at the time of the murder, showed signs of intellectual disabilities.
"They were 14 and 15 years old but functioning like 8- and 10-year-olds," Dr. Ginger Calloway said.
The three-judge panel also heard from a shoe impressionist expert, who said evidence of a Nike Air Force One shoe print from the case was "misleading."
Monday: The hearing began. The state argued just one person couldn't have been responsible for Jones' death and that the five convicted teens had a "collective, more than 140 contacts with law enforcement."