CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Former death row inmate Elwood Jones is taking the first step toward filing a civil lawsuit against the state of Ohio after his murder conviction was overturned and then permanently dismissed.
His attorney, David Hine, confirms to FOX19 NOW that he filed a legal action for a declaration that Jones “is a wrongfully imprisoned individual, as defined by statute. This is a procedural prerequisite to filing for damages in the (Ohio) Court of Claims.”
Last month, Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich formally dismissed the case against Jones, ending a nearly 30-year saga that saw Jones, now 73, spend 27 years on Ohio’s death row for a murder that she says he did not commit.
She dismissed the case against him “with prejudice,” meaning he can never again face criminal charges for the 1994 slaying of Rhoda Nathan…