Jesus once said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” This became literally true for Robert Jones who in 1992 was tried and convicted for the murder of British tourist Julie Stott, following a botched robbery in New Orleans.
The only problem was that Jones was innocent of the crime. While awaiting trial another man was caught following a similar robbery, and was found in possession of both the car and gun used in Julie’s murder. He was tried and convicted. Despite this Jones’s trial still went ahead and he too was convicted and sent to prison. For nearly 24 years he endured terrible cruelty at the hands of the prison system. Eventually it was the interest and persistence of a journalist that led to his release.
When asked how he coped for all those years Jones replied, “My faith in God. And it’s a true saying that the truth will set you free one day, when you can find it.”
It may sometimes be that the search for truth is a long one, but Jones’s story and the words of Jesus remind us that it does exist and that if we search hard enough it will be found.
