Louisiana man serving life gets murder conviction overturned

NEW ORLEANS – The conviction of a Louisiana man sentenced to life in prison for murder has been overturned.

The Advocate of Baton Rouge reports the state Supreme Court decided Tuesday that 46-year-old Darryl Jones was not convicted on sufficient evidence. The Supreme Court cited an earlier dissenting 1st Circuit Court of Appeal opinion in their ruling that said the jury could only speculate Jones was guilty. Jones and two other men, Cecil Ray Beals and Calvin Williams, were convicted in 2014 of second-degree murder for the 2013 shooting death of Gerald Wilkins.

Jones' attorney, Lieu Vo Clark, says prosecutors may request a rehearing over the next few days, meaning Jones may stay in custody pending that decision. If not, Jones, who has already served five years in prison, must be released.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com