Supporters of Jodi Jones killer Mitchell to hold protest in city
Campaigners claiming convicted murderer Luke Mitchell is innocent will hold a protest in Edinburgh, marking 20 years since his arrest.
The demonstration is to be held on April 14 at 12.30pm outside the High Court, where the then 16-year-old Mitchell was convicted in 2005 of killing his 14-year-old girlfriend, Jodi Jones, in 2003.
A tweet posted by @WeKnowTheyKnow1, on X (formerly Twitter) reads: “APRIL 14TH 2024 marks 20 years to the day since Luke was arrested, charged and taken from his home. HAS JUSTICE BEEN SERVED?” It gives the time and location of the protest, adding: “NO EVIDENCE NO DNA NO MORE!! 20 YEARS TOO MANY!!”
Mitchell, now 34, has always maintained his innocence but several appeals to overturn his conviction have been rejected, with the Appeal Court previously concluding there had been no miscarriage of justice. Ever since he was jailed, his supporters have attempted to prove his innocence, holding several highprofile protests over the years.
In 2021, Channel 5 screened a documentary called ‘Murder in a Small Town’, which cast doubt over his conviction and suggested other suspects who could have murdered Jodi. Last year, one of the UK’s leading criminologists claimed Mitchell should never have been arrested, let alone convicted, of killing Jodi. Professor David Wilson, emerin itus professor of criminology at Birmingham City University, said there was “nothing” that suggested Mitchell had murdered the Midlothian schoolgirl, whose mutilated body was found in woodland in Dalkeith.
Mitchell and Jodi started going out in about March 2003 after attending the same school – St David’s Roman Catholic High School. They had only been dating for four months. The schoolboy lived
No evidence, no DNA, 20 years too many. Has justice been served?
Newbattle, near Easthouses, with his mother Corinne and his older brother.
The trial jury heard Mitchell was a fan of American rocker Marilyn Manson, who painted pictures depicting the gruesome “Black Dahlia” 1940s murder of Hollywood actress Elizabeth Short. Detectives believed Short’s murder was the inspiration for Jodi’s killing. Prosecutors also told the jury how Mitchell was obsessed with Satanism.