Man exonerated of girl's murder files lawsuit against Sampson County sheriff

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A man has filed a federal lawsuit more than 10 years after he was arrested for the rape and murder of an 11-year-old Sampson County girl.

McKenzie Sessoms was killed Sept. 6, 2013, and Trey Jones was charged with her murder in 2014 and spent five years in jail.

Those charges were voluntarily dismissed in March 2021 after DNA evidence exonerated him of the crime.

The lawsuit, filed Dec. 19, claims Jones, then 14 and a special-needs student, was coerced to confess to the crime. Jones and McKenzie were neighbors right outside Salemburg at the time of the killing.

The suit also claims that Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton, along with two deputies and an SBI agent, violated Jones' civil rights.

No one else has ever been charged with McKenzie's murder.

Jones' attorney, Patrick R. Anstead of the Fayetteville-based Richardson Firm, is calling for the state attorney general to reopen the cold case, re-examine the evidence and remove the case from the Sampson County Sheriff's Office and district attorney.

A statement released by Anstead said the civil action is being brought to "achieve justice for both Trey Jones and McKenzie Sessoms."

Asked for comment about the lawsuit, the sheriff's office referred all queries to the county attorney.

Jones, now 24, lives in Bladen County and suffers from a "lifelong intellectual disability," according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages.