Luke Mitchell: who is the killer convicted of Jodi Jones murder in Midlothian as new Channel 5 documentary airs

In Murder in a Small Town Mitchell insists he did not kill teenager Jodi
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Convicted killer Luke Mitchell has claimed he was framed for the brutal murder of teenager Jodi Jones.

In a new television series investigating the death of the Easthouses teenager, Mitchell insists he did not kill his then-girlfriend, 14, in 2003.

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Channel 5’s Murder in a Small Town, a two-part documentary which re-examines the case against Mitchell, is set to air again on Thursday 25 February at 9pm.

Luke Mitchell insists in the documentary that he did not kill Jodi Jones in 2003 (Getty Images)Luke Mitchell insists in the documentary that he did not kill Jodi Jones in 2003 (Getty Images)
Luke Mitchell insists in the documentary that he did not kill Jodi Jones in 2003 (Getty Images)

So, who is Luke Mitchell - and why is he claiming he was framed for killing Jodi Jones?

Here is everything you need to know.

Who is Luke Mitchell?

Mitchell, who was also 14 at the time, started going out with Jodi in about March 2003.

Jodi Jones had been walking along a woodland path to get to Mitchell’s house when she was attacked (Getty Images)Jodi Jones had been walking along a woodland path to get to Mitchell’s house when she was attacked (Getty Images)
Jodi Jones had been walking along a woodland path to get to Mitchell’s house when she was attacked (Getty Images)

They both attended St David's Roman Catholic High School in Dalkeith.

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The schoolboy lived in Newbattle, near Easthouses where Jodi lived, with his mother Corinne and his older brother.

On 30 June 2003, Jodi left her family home to visit Mitchell but the alarm was raised when she failed to arrive at his house or return home.

The teenager had been taking a shortcut along a woodland path to get to Mitchell’s house when she was brutally attacked.

Luke Mitchell after his arrest in 2003 (Photo: Lothian and Borders Police via Getty Images)Luke Mitchell after his arrest in 2003 (Photo: Lothian and Borders Police via Getty Images)
Luke Mitchell after his arrest in 2003 (Photo: Lothian and Borders Police via Getty Images)

Her body was found on the path known as Roan’s Dyke, near her home, by Mitchell and members of her family at about 10:30pm.

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The schoolgirl’s hands had been tied behind her back, her throat had been cut and her body was repeatedly slashed.

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Jodi Jones murder: what happened to teenager murdered in Midlothian - and who is...

When was he convicted?

Mitchell, now 32, was convicted of murdering Jodi in 2005 when he was 16, following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

He was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison.

At his 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.

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The jury in the trial heard Mitchell was a fan of controversial American rocker Marilyn Manson, who painted pictures depicting the gruesome “Black Dahlia” 1940s murder of Holywood 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.

The trial is believed to be the longest of a single accused in Scottish criminal history.

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The jury took just over five hours to reach their decision, and in January 2005 Mitchell was convicted.

Mitchell has had four previous attempts to overturn his conviction.

Two were rejected on appeal and a bid to have his case referred to the UK Supreme Court was turned down at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Another appeal was refused by miscarriage of justice investigators at the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Why is Mitchell claiming he was framed?

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Two former detectives reopen Jodi’s case in Murder in a Small Town.

John Sallens and Michael Neil claim 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.

The former cops conclude that there was only circumstantial evidence and there is more evidence pointing to other suspects being responsible for the schoolgirl’s death.

One of the former detectives claims that Mitchell “suffered a serious miscarriage of justice”.

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In the documentary, Mitchell insists he was framed for Jodi’s murder and says he would never admit to it, even if it meant an immediate release.

“I was the local weirdo. It was easy to put on me,” he says in phone calls from jail.

He goes over how he found Jodi while searching for her with other locals, including her family, after her disappearance.

Mitchell tells 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.

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“I will not admit to something I’ve not done. I want to clear my name."

He also claims two police officers tried to bully him into admitting he murdered his girlfriend by telling him: “Confess you little b*****d.”

A forensic scientist in the documentary also casts doubt on whether Mitchell killed Jodi and says there is insufficient evidence for a conviction.