Longest serving Santa Rita Jail inmate no longer there
An Alameda County Sheriff's deputy tells Leonard Jones that his Santa Rita Jail cell has reached 118 to 120 degrees. April 10, 2025. Photo: Bodyworn camera
OAKLAND, Calif. - The man who served the longest time in Santa Rita Jail is no longer there.
Transferred from Santa Rita to state prison
What we know:
On Tuesday, Leonard Jones was transferred to North Kern State Prison, hours after a hearing in Oakland, where Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Stevens resentenced him to 46 years.
Deputy District Attorney Edward Viera-Ducey had wanted Jones to retain his original sentence of 59 years following an attempted murder conviction where a jury found him guilty of shooting a 22-year-old in the ankle in 2022 in San Leandro.
In his court motion, Viera-Ducey argued that Jones is still a threat to society.
Meanwhile, Defense attorney Daniel Shriro had argued that Jones had already served 13 years of his sentence – all of it in Santa Rita Jail while he fought and won other criminal charges – and should have been let out now.
DA, defense battle over the longest serving person at Santa Rita Jail
A judge will decide Leonard Jones' fate whether he should remain in prison or get a lighter sentence.
Mid-level range
What they're saying:
Instead, Stevens resentenced Jones to the mid-level range for attempted murder and dismissed the gun enhancements except for one that carries a 20-year sentence – that of discharging a gun.
"I think this is the wrong sentence for a lot of reasons," Shriro said on Wednesday, noting he has already filed his intent to appeal.
Shriro said he believes the judge erred when he confirmed another judge's opinion that Jones' case does not qualify as a Racial Justice Act motion, finding that it should be brought by way of a habeas petition rather than as a part of the resentencing proceedings.
Shriro wrote to the court that the charging decision itself – attempted murder – showed an implicit bias against Jones, who is Black. The person he shot suffered an ankle injury, and could have been charged as something less serious, like assault with a deadly weapon, for example.
Shriro also believes the judge made a mistake when he didn't take into account that Jones' childhood trauma – of having his father murder his mother when he was 17 – directly connected to his crime, which is required under a new law.
Shriro provided an assessment from a clinical social worker who determined that Jones' early childhood trauma "is highly relevant" to understanding why he had trouble regulating responses under stress.
‘Racial disparity issues’
Jones' fiancé, Patience Rodak, said on the one hand, she is grateful that the judge slightly reduced Jones' sentence, but she is also "deeply disappointed" in the 46 years "despite substantial evidence of rehabilitation, excessive sentencing concerns, and the racial disparity issues raised."
"We believe this case reflects larger systemic issues within the criminal justice system," Rodak said, "including how enhancements and discretionary charging decisions can drastically increase sentences for Black defendants. Leonard has already served over 13 years, has endured significant mistreatment while incarcerated, and continues to maintain hope while pursuing every legal avenue available to him."