Case dismissed against former death row inmate in Ohio who had been freed pending a new trial

CINCINNATI (AP) — The case was dismissed Friday against a man who spent a quarter-century on death row for the robbery and murder of a New Jersey woman at an Ohio hotel nearly three decades ago.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said the dismissal of the case of Elwood Jones of Cincinnati followed a monthslong comprehensive review of evidence and court filings in his case.

“I did not take this extraordinary step lightly,” Pillich said in a statement. “But after reviewing the evidence, I am not convinced that Mr. Jones killed Rhoda Nathan.”

Elwood was convicted of aggravated murder, robbery and burglary in the 1994 beating death of the 67-year-old from Toms River, New Jersey, in Blue Ash, a Cincinnati suburb. He has been free since a judge granted him a new trial in December 2022