In the winter of 2018, a young man's life was cut short in a Pontiac park, a violent end to what appeared to be a dispute between families. Carlton Dawayne Eaton, a 25-year-old male, was found facedown in Murphy Park on the afternoon of January 11th. He had been shot in the back of the head in what prosecutors would later describe as an 'execution-style' killing.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office deputies who arrived at the scene near Martin Luther King Boulevard and South Boulevard pronounced him dead shortly after. Eaton was a father to three children and was remembered by his family as a loving man who enjoyed spending time with them and playing in multiple sporting leagues.
The investigation into Carlton Eaton's death quickly led authorities to a suspect. Within a day, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office SWAT team descended on a home on Gladstone Place and arrested Andre Atreleoneil Jones, a 25-year-old man. The motive for the killing appeared to be an act of revenge. Witnesses testified that in the hours leading up to the shooting, Jones had been informed that Eaton had physically assaulted his own girlfriend, who was Jones's cousin, leaving her with a bruised and swollen face. In front of witnesses, Jones allegedly declared his intention to harm Eaton.
The key to the prosecution's case was the testimony of Justin Franklin, the sole eyewitness to the shooting. Franklin recounted walking with Jones when they encountered Eaton, whom both men knew. According to Franklin's testimony, it was at this point that Andre Jones shot Eaton. Despite the defense's attempts to challenge Franklin's credibility, his account proved compelling to the jury. The murder weapon, however, was never recovered.
The path to justice for Carlton Eaton was not immediate. A first trial against Andre Jones in March 2019 ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. However, a subsequent retrial brought a different outcome. After only a few hours of deliberation, a jury found Andre Jones guilty of second-degree murder, felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. For the murder of Carlton Eaton, Jones was sentenced to a lengthy prison term of 562 months to 99 years, to be served after completing sentences for the firearm convictions.
