A heartbreaking story of injustice has come to an end for Mary Virginia Jones, a 74-year-old woman who was released from prison after serving 32 years for a murder she didn’t commit. Jones, known as “Mother Mary” to her family and friends, was convicted in 1981 for a crime committed by her abusive boyfriend, Mose Willis.
According to reports, Jones was forced at gunpoint to drive a car to a back alley in Los Angeles, where Willis shot and killed two men. Despite being a victim of intimate partner battering, Jones was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, her life took a dramatic turn when law students from the University of Southern California’s Post-Conviction Justice Project took on her case and championed her freedom.
The students argued that Jones would not have been convicted if the jury had heard expert testimony about the impact of intimate partner battering. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office eventually agreed to set aside her convictions after reviewing the case, and Jones pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter.
Jones’s release was met with jubilation from her family and supporters, who had been waiting for decades to be reunited with their loved one. Her children are now looking forward to spending quality time with their mother and rebuilding their lives together.
This case highlights the importance of considering the complexities of intimate partner violence and its impact on victims’ actions. Jones’s story serves as a reminder of the need for a fair and just legal system that takes into account the nuances of such cases.