The Conviction of Maleek Jones

On March 29, 1995, Maleek Jones was convicted of murder and sentenced to 65 years in prison. He has maintained his innocence for nearly 30 years and hopes a federal court will reopen his case. In a New Haven Independent piece about Jones, Ram Vishwanathan wrote, “The stakes are higher than ever: while some distance from the Connecticut justice system might offer him better luck, he is soon running out of legal remedies. ‘I’m at the end,’ [Jones] said, his voice cracking.”

Inmate Brings Innocence Quest To Last Stop, Ram Vishwanathan

Maleek’s is one of numerous cases that have exposed an epidemic of police corruption in the city of New Haven in the 1980s and 1990s, leading to multiple exonerations for wrongful convictions, a number of disgraced officers, and legal settlements in the tens of millions of dollars.

Less openly discussed are the stories of this era that have yet to emerge — those of dozens of Black men like Maleek who have long insisted on their innocence. At a time of a national reckoning the criminal justice system’s failures, old cases like Maleek’s serve as stark reminders that a reckoning with the past is far from complete.

New Site Spotlights Wrongful Convictions, Laura Glesby

Of the 32 individuals who have been fully exonerated in Connecticut, 16 were from New Haven. Those statistics don’t include the numerous people who took plea bargains or are otherwise still working to clear their names in the wake of evidence undermining the state’s cases against them.

Holding Me Captive currently focuses on people accused of gun violence, but Jeter and Stillman argued that the patterns revealed by those cases are indicative of widespread racism among local law enforcement — fueled by the image of Black men as ​“predators,” the ​“narrative of broken people,” that escalated in response to the rise of crack cocaine, Jeter said. 

Case Background of Maleek Jones, Holding Me Captive

The law-enforcement tactics used in the incarceration of Maleek Jones include:

  • Witness coercion and pre-interviews

  • Ineffective defense counsel

  • Suppression, manipulation, or destroyed evidence (Brady Violation)

  • Use of recanted/dubious testimony from eyewitnesses and informants

Hear from Maleek Himself:

Maleek’s responses to FAQs about his case:

Maleek’s Trial Materials

Contact & Support

Do you know of wrongful convictions in New Haven that merit further investigation? Do you have a story you want to share about being affected by law-enforcement misconduct in New Haven, particularly in the 1980s, 1990s, or early 2000s? If so, please reach out; James Jeter, Children of the Storm’s director, would like to hear from you.

Email:
j.jeter@fullcitizenscoalition.org