Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich announced today that she dismissed the 1995 capital murder case against Elwood Jones. The decision follows a months-long, comprehensive review of the evidence and court filings.

This review was conducted in response to a 2022 decision by Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Wende Cross overturning Jones’ conviction and granting him a new trial.

Pillich filed a notice of dismissal earlier today, which was signed by Judge Cross.

The previous prosecutor had appealed Cross’ decision. On December 4, 2025, the Ohio Supreme Court affirmed the appeal, clarifying Ohio’s legal standard for the right to appeal such cases. Pillich emphasized, however, that the Jones case must be evaluated based on the decades of facts that have been litigated.

“I did not take this extraordinary step lightly,” Pillich said. “But after reviewing the evidence, I am not convinced that Mr. Jones killed Rhoda Nathan.”

Jones was convicted in the 1994 death of Nathan in a Blue Ash motel. Jones spent 27 years on death row before being released pending the appeal.

Pillich’s review addressed several critical issues:

•                         A lack of physical or forensic evidence directly linking Jones to the murder.

•                         Insufficient follow-up on multiple witness statements pointing to alternative suspects.

•                         Modern-day medical testing excluded Jones as a suspect.

•                         Prior failure of the prosecutor’s office to provide the defense with a large volume of investigatory material before trial.

“A new trial, without evidence, witnesses and up-to-date science would be futile,” Pillich said. “Make no mistake, Rhoda Nathan’s life matters greatly to me. My duty is to administer justice with integrity. I work every day on behalf of victims and this community to ensure public safety. Today’s decision does not change that commitment.”

Pillich is currently establishing a Conviction Integrity Unit that will follow national best practices to research and review claims of wrongful conviction and unjust sentencing.

“Had such a unit existed years ago, this decision may have been reached much sooner,” she said.