When you walk through the northeast side of Winston-Salem, people still talk about the gas station on the corner. It wasn’t just a place to fuel up; it was a landmark of Black entrepreneurship and a hub for the neighborhood. At the center of it all was Nathaniel Jones, a man whose life—and tragic death—became a permanent fixture in North Carolina history.
Most people today know him as "Papa Chilly," the beloved grandfather of NBA legend Chris Paul. But in 2002, the city knew him as the hardworking owner of Jones Chevron. He was 61 years old. He was a widower. He was a man who had built a legacy from the ground up, only to have it cut short in his own carport.
What Happened to Nathaniel Jones in Winston-Salem?
On November 15, 2002, Winston-Salem was shaken. Nathaniel Jones was found in the carport of his home, bound with black tape and brutally beaten. The scene was chaotic. His wallet was gone. His hands were tied behind his back. He died from cardiac arrhythmia triggered by the stress of the attack.
It was a senseless act of violence that happened just one day after his grandson, Chris Paul, had signed to play basketball at Wake Forest University. The community wasn’t just sad; they were angry. They wanted justice for a man who had spent nearly 40 years serving them.
The Winston-Salem Five
The investigation moved fast. Maybe too fast. Within days, police focused on five local teenagers:
- Nathaniel Cauthen (15)
- Rayshawn Banner (14)
- Christopher Bryant (15)
- Jermal Tolliver (15)
- Dorrell Brayboy (15)
These kids became known as the "Winston-Salem Five." Without physical evidence—no DNA, no fingerprints, no murder weapon—the state built its case on confessions and the testimony of a 16-year-old girl named Jessicah Black. By 2005, all five were convicted. Cauthen and Banner, the two brothers, were handed life sentences.
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The Cracks in the Case
For twenty years, the families of these boys insisted they were innocent. Honestly, the details that surfaced later are kind of haunting. It turns out the teenagers were interrogated for hours without lawyers. They claimed police threatened them with the death penalty—a punishment that wasn't even legal for minors in North Carolina at the time.
Even weirder? The "confessions" didn't match. The boys couldn't agree on where the body was left, who did the beating, or even what they used to hit him. One kid said a pipe; another said something else. It was a mess of contradictions that somehow still led to a conviction.
The Witness Who Changed Everything
The biggest turning point in the Nathaniel Jones Winston-Salem case came from Jessicah Black. She was the star witness. She told the jury she heard the boys yelling at Jones while she sat in a nearby park.
Decades later, she took it all back.
In a series of emotional hearings, Black admitted she had lied. She said Winston-Salem detectives pressured her, screamed at her, and threatened to charge her as an accessory if she didn't give them what they wanted. "I told them what they wanted to hear," she basically said.
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The Legal Rollercoaster of 2025
If you think this story ended with the recantation, you'd be wrong. The legal battle in 2025 has been a total whirlwind. In August 2025, Superior Court Judge Robert Broadie did something huge: he overturned the convictions. He dismissed the charges "with prejudice," which means the state isn't supposed to be able to try them again.
But the North Carolina Attorney General’s office fought back immediately. They filed emergency petitions to keep the men in prison. Imagine being Nathaniel Cauthen or Rayshawn Banner—you’ve packed your bags, you’ve given away your prison belongings because you think you're finally going home, and then a last-minute stay from the Supreme Court forces you back into your cell.
That happened twice in late 2025.
Where the Case Stands Right Now
Currently, the situation is a legal standoff. The N.C. Supreme Court issued a permanent stay in October 2025, halting the release of the remaining members of the Winston-Salem Five while the appellate courts review the merits of Judge Broadie's ruling.
It’s a complicated mess. On one side, you have a family—including Chris Paul—who has spent over two decades believing these men killed their patriarch. On the other, you have legal advocates and the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission pointing to a lack of DNA evidence and coerced testimonies.
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- Dorrell Brayboy passed away in 2019, never seeing his name cleared.
- Christopher Bryant and Jermal Tolliver served their time and were released years ago, but they are still fighting to have the "convicted felon" label removed from their records.
- The Banner brothers remain behind bars as of early 2026, waiting for a final word from the higher courts.
Why This Case Still Matters
The story of Nathaniel Jones in Winston-Salem is a tragedy in two parts. First, the loss of a man who was a pillar of the Black community—a man who bought his own land in 1964 because he wanted to "truly own" his business. Second, the potential failure of a justice system that may have put the wrong people in prison for a generation.
It’s a reminder that "closure" is rarely simple. For the Jones family, the reopening of these wounds every few years is agonizing. For the families of the Winston-Salem Five, every day their sons remain in prison is a continued injustice.
Actionable Insights and Next Steps
If you are following this case or interested in the intersection of civil rights and criminal justice, here is what you can do to stay informed:
Monitor the North Carolina Supreme Court Docket
The final decision on whether the exonerations stand will come from the state's highest court. This will determine if the "with prejudice" dismissal is upheld or if the state gets another shot at a trial.
Read "Sixty-One" by Chris Paul
To understand the human side of Nathaniel Jones, Chris Paul's 2023 memoir provides a deep look at his grandfather's life and the "Life Lessons From Papa" that shaped his career. It gives context to why the family has fought so hard to protect his memory.
Follow the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission
This state agency was pivotal in uncovering the new evidence. Their reports provide the most factual, non-biased look at the DNA results and witness recantations that changed the trajectory of the case.
The legacy of Nathaniel Jones is more than just a court case. It’s the story of a man who built a business when the odds were against him and a community that is still, twenty-four years later, trying to find the truth of what happened that night in the carport.