CINCINNATI — A 37-year-old man convicted in a double homicide outside a College Hill bar in 2018 was released Tuesday.
Jonathan Patton was found guilty of murder in 2019 in the deaths of 28-year-old Steven Anderson Jr. and 29-year-old Nathaniel Davis but his attorney, Bill Gallagher, said homicide detectives suppressed evidence in that trial.
"What we showed them was what was hidden, even from them, by the Cincinnati Homicide Department," Gallagher said. "That one of their witnesses was mistaken. That there was identification of a different person that did the shooting."
You can watch the details of the case in the player below:
Gallagher said while they were fighting for a new trial, the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office offered Patton a plea deal.
Patton agreed to take an Alford plea, meaning he maintained his innocence but accepted a guilty plea with a reduced sentence. The Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office did not respond to WCPO 9 News' request for comment on the case.
"I think the fact that this plea came from the prosecutor's office at the moment that it did, I think is a slight agreement by them that they have serious troubles with this case," Gallagher said.
Patton stood before Hamilton County Judge Robert Goering Tuesday for his plea hearing. His sentence was reduced to five years. Since Patton already served six years in jail, he was released.
The Cincinnati Police Department sent the following statement to WCPO 9 News regarding the case:
"Today, the Cincinnati Police Department was made aware that Mr. Jonathan Patton entered into a plea agreement with the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office regarding a shooting incident on September 23, 2018. The Cincinnati Police Department remains steadfast in its commitment to conducting thorough investigations, adhering to the rule of law, and working closely with the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office to achieve just outcomes based on the evidence."
Gallagher said he hopes Patton can now get back some lost time.
"He had a son who was born soon after he got arrested that he never held," said Gallagher. "He's got a daughter that turns 10 tomorrow and he'll be at her birthday party. Those are the type of memories that he needs to start accumulating as a free man and he's so looking forward to doing that."
