Teen charged in death of Christopher Gray pleads not guilty

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- 16-year-old Melvin Jones, the teen charged in connection with the death of Milwaukee club promoter Christopher Gray (also known as “Caly Kris”), appeared in court Friday, February 28th for his preliminary hearing.

Jones, who is being charged as an adult, plead not guilty to homicide charges. For the first time Gray's mother, Lisa Fanroy, heard police testimony that Jones confessed to beating Gray with a hammer when the man came home and found the teen robbing his house, along with 22-year-old Jonathan Sellers.

Jones was charged on February 3rd with two criminal counts including first-degree reckless homicide and burglary, party to a crime.

The criminal complaint against Jones indicates he was with three others when they went to Gray’s house to rob it. The complaint says Jones and a second person, Jonathan Sellers, entered the house after Gray had apparently left. Once inside, they allegedly took a big screen TV, a couple of laptop computers and an X-Box 360.

The complaint says during the robbery, Gray came home — and was confronted by Jones and Sellers. Gray was chased to a nearby alley where the two caught up to him. The complaint says Jones “then took the hammer he was in possession of and began hitting the victim in the head 3 or 4 times really hard.” They also allegedly went through Gray’s pockets and stole money and an iPhone.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office will not release its report on Gray's autopsy, saying it's still on non-disclosure. However, a fellow from the office testified Friday that Gray died of blunt force trauma.

"There was a laceration on the back of the head that is semi-circumferential in shape. It is a tear that has the shape of a partial circle and that can be consistent with the rounded end of a hammer," said Yenvan Vo with the Medical Examiner's Office.

If convicted, Jones faces up to 60 years in prison.

Both Jones and Sellers have implicated two other men in the crime, saying they were waiting in the car during the burglary. The prosecutor in the case declined to comment on that, saying only "it's an open investigation."

Sellers is due in court Monday. He is expected to take a plea deal where the only charge is burglary.

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