Jodi Jones: Key questions and evidence behind the conviction of Luke Mitchell
| Published date | 02 March 2021 |
| Author | Jane Hamilton |
| Publication title | EdinburghLive (Scotland) |
And as Jodi's family speak of the hurt the documentary has caused them, many have taken to social media to publicly question their role in the murder and even accuse her loved ones of a cover up.
But what really lay behind the conviction of Luke Mitchell, and how did a jury manage to decide he was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt?
The Daily Record recently reported on key questions and pieces of evidence put forward at the trial and Mitchell's appeals, all of which have been unsuccessful.
We take a look at those key questions below.
Who is Luke Mitchell, and how was he connected to Jodi Jones?
Now 32, Luke Mitchell was jailed 17 years ago for the brutal slaying of Jodi Jones when they were both aged 14 and in a relationship together.
Mitchell was said to have experienced a fairly comfortable life living in Dalkeith, Midlothian, where he attended the same school as Jodi Jones. He would go on to become her first serious boyfriend, and the pair had engaged in a physical relationship.
But unknown to Jodi, Mitchell was also in a relationship with another young woman.
How did Luke Mitchell come under suspicion?
On 30 June 2003, Jodi Jones left home saying she was going to meet Mitchell, it would be the last time her family saw her alive. Jodi was found dead several hours later, brutally murdered in a knife attack.
Suspicion fell immediately on Mitchell, and his role in discovering Jodi's body added to this and would become a central part of the prosecution case.
In the 10 months leading up to his arrest, Mitchell faced constant speculation in the media and from Jodi's family. He was first questioned as witness, but police went on to make him the focus of their investigation.
The prosecution case
Mitchell's "guilty knowledge" and the eyewitness accounts
Central to the case against Mitchell was the fact he was the one to discover her body, which the prosecution said at trial was an indication he had known where the body was all along.
Prosecutors also pointed to an eyewitness who described a man fitting Mitchell's description in the area just before 5pm, and she went on to pick out a photo of Mitchell but could not identify him in court.
At appeal, judges said that whilst the eyewitness evidence from Andrina Bryson was "open to challenge", there were elements that provided the basis for a valid...
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