Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt has appealed the decision by a judge to have the 50-year sentence for Jonathan Irons vacated.
The decision for Irons came on March 9 from Cole County, Missouri judge Dan Green. Schmitt’s writ of certiorari claims Green “abused” his discretion and went past his authority. The convictions and sentences were for first-degree assault, first-degree burglary and armed criminal action.
Schmitt’s contention rests on a report that claims fingerprints at the scene of the alleged crime matched those of the homeowner. The court in Cole County believed the report regarding the fingerprints did not go disclosed prior to Irons’ trial – and that it would have helped Irons’ defense.
Schmitt and the state’s assistant attorney general are claiming the report was disclosed. The assistant attorney general’s office is also claiming a portion of said fingerprint report was in the trial file for Irons.
The Irons case has been one that has received the attention of Maya Moore. She has not played WNBA basketball since the 2018 season to put her sole attention on the Irons case. The Minnesota Lynx great has sat out the 2019 season and intends to sit out the 2020 W campaign (given that there is one due to the Covid-19 pandemic) as well.
The case now is in the hands of the Court of Appeals of the Western District of Missouri. If said court rules in favor of Irons and against Schmitt, his office has the option of appealing the case to the Missouri Supreme Court. Then, if Schmitt is also denied by the state, St. Charles County will have 30 days on if it wants to retry Irons or dismiss the case.
KSDK-TV 5 in St. Louis reporting DNA evidence – or the lack thereof – will play into the county’s decision.
