THE Murder of schoolgirl Jodi Jones shocked the tight-knit community of Dalkeith, Scotland back in 2003.
And the discovery of who committed this brutal crime was even more shocking.
Who was Jodi Jones?
Jodi Jones was a 14 year-old schoolgirl from Easthouses, Midlothian, Scotland.
She was pupil at St David's Roman Catholic High School, along with her boyfriend Luke Mitchell who was also 14 at the time.
The young couple began dating around March 2003 and quickly began to spend a lot of time together – which was curtailed by Jodi's mother.
Just four months later, Jodi Jones was brutally murdered.
When was Jodi Jones killed?
Jodi Jones was killed on June 30, 2003.
On that day, Jodi left her family home to visit her boyfriend Luke Mitchell – but alarm bells began to ring when the schoolgirl failed to arrive at Mitchell's house or return home.
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Jodi had been taking a shortcut along a woodland path to get to Mitchell’s house when she was brutally attacked.
Her body was discovered on the path known as Roan’s Dyke, near her home, by Mitchell and members of her family at around 10:30pm that evening.
In a brutal knife attack, Jodi's hands had been tied behind her back, her throat had been cut and her body repeatedly slashed.
As police began to investigate the crime scene, they soon discovered that the letters LM and JJ were cut into bark near to where Jodi's body was found.
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Suspicion around Mitchell only intensified when police discovered the ease in which Jodi's boyfriend was able to locate her body – Mitchell’s dog, allegedly stopped at a "V" in wall, where Mitchell climbed through – locating her body at 10.30pm.
While members of her family, who were also out frantically searching for her, remained on the other side.
After the discovery of the body, Mitchell was initially questioned as a witness – and quickly became the main focus of the murder investigation.
10 months later Mitchell was arrested and charged with the murder of Jodi Jones.
He was also charged with the possession of a knife or knives in public places, including St David's High School – and of being connected in the supply of cannabis resin.
The timing of this meant that he could be tried as an adult in court – he pleaded not guilty and lodged a special defence of alibi that he was at home cooking dinner at the time of the murder.
In January 2005, Mitchell, who was then 16 years-old was found guilty of murder following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
At the trial Mitchell was found guilty of attacking Jodi by hitting her on the head and body and compressing her neck, restricting her breathing.
He was also found guilty of stabbing the teenager with a knife before and after she died, inflicting wounds to her face, ear, mouth, breast and abdomen.
After being condemned as "truly wicked" by Judge Lord Nimmo Smith – Mitchell was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison before being considered for parole.
Where is Luke Mitchell now?
Luke Mitchell is still in prison – where he has served 17 years of his 20 year sentence.
For nearly two decades, the now 31 year-old has denied any involvement in the murder of Jodi Jones.
In 2021, a Channel 5 documentary, Murder in a Small Town, set out to question whether Mitchell, who was jailed for 20 years, was the real killer.
In the documentary, two new detectives claimed to have uncovered details of other male DNA found at the crime scene, and new information about another male from a witness living in the area at the time.
However, Police Scotland deny the claims saying they are "satisfied" that a thorough investigation was carried out and that "no other individuals" needed to be traced.
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Mitchell told the documentary: “I can’t be more clear. I absolutely did not kill Jodi and I’ve been locked up for a crime I didn’t commit.
“I will not admit to something I’ve not done. I want to clear my name."
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