In 2015 a group that works with wrongly convicted prisoners, Midwest #Innocence Project, found a photo of Ricky, Jones' lookalike, after Jones was told by his fellow convicts that he looked exactly like Ricky. No DNA, fingerprint or other physical evidence linked Jones to the crime, but he was convicted of aggravated robbery based on eyewitness testimony.
Jones is now assimilating to life after jail and says he's happy to be back with his children.
Craig said Jones was bitter and angry during his incarceration, but when he saw the picture of the other man, he understood how easily the witnesses could have been mistaken.
Jones' lawyers then showed the two men's photographs to the victim, two eyewitnesses, and the prosecutor in the original case.
Jones's lawyers also argued that the lineup of men the police had put forward to the victims 17 years ago was "highly suggestive" because he was the only who resembled the criminal they described.
Judge Kevin Moriarty ordered Jones' release, saying no juror would have convicted Jones based on the new evidence.
His lookalike 'Ricky' also took the stand and denied committing the crime.
Investigators focused on Jones after his picture was picked out of a police database three months after the crime by a man who admitted he was on drugs during his only encounter with Jones, according to court documents filed by the defense.
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Jones had spent almost 16 years in prison for a crime he was innocent of.
Jones said he was beginning to believe he would never get out of jail, after several attempts to appeal against the charges brought against him.
Jones testified that he was with his girlfriend and family when the crime occurred, but a jury found hi guilty after believing the eyewitnesses' testimony.
Yet the fact the witnesses could not say for certain Jones committed the crime means he was freed from jail. "Mr. Jones was convicted exclusively on eyewitness testimony that has been proven to be inherently flawed and unreliable".
'Everybody has a doppelgänger, ' said an attorney on the case.
"We were floored by how much they looked alike", said Jones's attorney Alice Craig of seeing the other man who some believe committed the crime instead of Jones.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Jones as he adjusts to freedom.
"It's been a rough ride ... for a while, they didn't understand, they just knew I wasn't there", he said.
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