Innocence claims denied in death of Chris Paul’s grandfather

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Judges have denied the innocence claims of four men who were convicted of killing the grandfather of NBA star Chris Paul when they were teens, even though a key witness has recanted her testimony. In 2020, the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission found sufficient evidence of factual innocence to send their cases to a panel of three Superior Court judges. The judges rejected the claims of the four defendants Thursday after days of testimony. Paul’s 61-year-old grandfather Nathaniel Jones died from a heart attack outside his Winston-Salem home after being tied up, beaten and robbed in November 2002. Paul was a standout high school basketball player at the time.