This is part of “Cold-Blooded,” a series of stories by The Tributary’s senior investigative reporter Nichole Manna that unravels the 1993 prosecution of Kenneth Hartley, who is on Death Row. To read the whole series go to jaxtrib.org/cold-blooded
The day after Christmas 1984, Sidney Jones walked out of the Silver Star Lounge with a butcher knife in his back pocket, feeling bold. He spotted an approaching Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office cruiser and attempted to stash his knife under a car.
The deputies weren’t fooled. But even as he was collared and cuffed, Jones – who, as a felon, was barred from carrying a deadly concealed weapon – was defiant. He bragged that he’d wriggle out of trouble because he was an informant for a JSO detective who always took care of him.
True to his boast, he served no time for the charge…