Florida Supreme Court orders new trial for death-row inmate after 2003 Brevard murder

The Florida Supreme Court has set aside Henry Lee Jones’ conviction and death sentence for the 2003 murder of Carlos Perez, ruling that prosecutors withheld evidence that could have helped Jones challenge the state’s case.In a decision issued on Thursday, the court ordered a new trial. What Jones Was Accused OfPerez, 19, was found dead in a Melbourne motel room on Aug. 27, 2003. He had been strangled and stabbed repeatedly in the neck, according to the court’s decision. Prosecutors argued Jones befriended Perez, then tied him up, sexually assaulted him and killed him.The state also presented evidence linking the killing to other murders. It pointed to similarities with the killings of Clarence and Lillian James in Tennessee, for which Jones had been convicted, and presented evidence about the 2002 murder of Keith Gross in Fort Lauderdale, where Jones was the primary suspect but was never charged. Investigators also cited a hair found in the motel room, shoe impressions and items recove