The episode “A Lesson in Murder” of A&E's “Cold Case Files” takes viewers back to 2009, to the murder of social studies teacher Jonelle Melton. Her death was a mystery for several years, and someone close to the victim was widely suspected. The years-long investigation eventually led to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators. Thanks to exclusive interviews with the victim's relatives and the officers assigned to the case, the episode covers all of these intricate details.

Jonelle Melton was found covered in blood in her home

Jonelle Elaine Saddler Melton was born to Gwendolyn Cruse and George Saddler Jr. on July 17, 1976 in Trenton, New Jersey. In addition to the love and support of her parents, she also grew up in the company of her two loving sisters, Rachel and Connie Saddler. After completing her schooling at Our Lady of Divine Shepherd School and McCorristin Catholic High School, she earned a bachelor's degree from Morgan State University before receiving a master's degree in Supervisory Education from Monmouth University.

From a young age, Jonelle knew teaching was her calling. Her dreams came true when she began teaching at the Village Charter School in Trenton, inspiring many students. Jonelle also taught at Granville Charter School for a year and was a long-time representative for the Trenton Board of Education. All of this teaching experience landed her a job at Red Bank Middle School in the early 2000s, teaching social studies to fifth-graders. According to her loved ones, she had a deep affinity for history and found a way to get her students excited about the subject as well.

When Jonelle met Michael Melton, a school youth counselor, she was instantly smitten with him. Interestingly, they were colleagues at Red Bank Middle School. One thing led to another and their relationship culminated in an official marriage on August 28, 2003 at Sandals in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, in the presence of about 30 close friends. Jonelle was an active member of the Christian Woman's Encouragement Group and also wanted to become a member of Mount Olive Baptist Church in Lake Como. However, like many of her future plans, this plan never came to fruition as tragedy struck her life in 2009.

On September 14, 2009, Jonelle failed to show up for school. She was found dead, covered in blood, on the floor of her apartment at the Brighton Arms at 311 West Sylvania Avenue in Neptune. When authorities were called, they thoroughly examined the body and crime scene for evidence. Jonelle had been repeatedly beaten, stabbed, and shot in the arm, but the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. According to investigators, she was killed by a group of individuals in the late night hours of September 13, 2009, given the gruesome and brutal nature of the crime. They had noticed signs of a forced entry on the kitchen window and found a lighter and a piece of used duct tape, which were sent for further investigation.

Jonelle Melton was the victim of mistaken identity

When the interrogation began, police brought in Jonelle Melton's husband, Michael Melton, for questioning. He was the one who found her body in her ransacked apartment on September 14, 2009, and called 911. Authorities learned that the couple was separated and planned to officially divorce the following month. Additionally, his DNA was found on the tape at the crime scene. He protested his innocence, claiming he stepped on it while searching for Jonelle in her home. All of these facts made him the prime suspect in the eyes of the law as well as his acquaintances, including Jonelle's family. Since no one was responsible for the murder, everyone turned on Michael, blaming him for the death of his estranged wife.

However, more than three years after the murder, there were new developments in the case. In December 2012, DNA was finally found on the lighter and a man named Gregory Jean-Baptiste was linked to the case. Despite extensive questioning, the police could not find enough evidence to arrest him. To prove his innocence, Michael used some of his contacts and found out the truth about what happened on the night of September 13, 2009. According to his sources, three gang members hatched a plan to rob a drug dealer named David James, aka Munch, who allegedly had thousands of dollars in his freezer and lived right next door to Jonelle. However, the trio of gang members broke into the wrong house, and when they realized their mistake, they killed Jonelle and fled the scene.

After this revelation, the case began to unravel when several witnesses came forward. One of them was Narika Scott, the girlfriend of a convict named Ebenezer Byrd. She claimed that her boyfriend had confessed to being involved in the murder of Jonelle Melton along with Gregory Jean-Baptiste and Jerry Spraulding. Next, Elizabeth Pinto, Ebenezer's ex-girlfriend, came clean and admitted that she had been the getaway driver for the gangster trio on the fateful night. She agreed to testify in court in exchange for a reduced sentence. Finally, on March 23, 2016, Gregory, Ebenezer and Jerry were arrested and charged with premeditated murder, second-degree robbery, conspiracy and illegal possession of a firearm.

Ebenezer, Gregory and Jerry are serving their respective prison sentences

On January 17, 2019, nearly a decade after the murder of Jonelle Melton, Ebenezer Byrd, Gregory Jean-Baptiste, and Jerry Spraulding went on trial for the same murder. After hearing arguments from both sides, the jury found all three defendants guilty of premeditated murder, armed burglary, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed burglary, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. In addition, Ebenezer and Gregory were convicted of witness tampering, while Ebenezer and Jerry were convicted of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Another man named James Fair pleaded guilty to staging the robbery, as he was the one who told them about the cash in the drug dealer's freezer.

On May 23, 2019, Jerry was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole until he had spent approximately 64 years behind bars. A week later, Gregory received a life sentence plus 20 years (95 years total). Unless he serves 74 years in prison, he will have no chance of parole. However, his sentence would begin after he completes the current 25-year sentence for unrelated drug offenses. As for Ebenezer, he was sentenced to 83 years and nine months in prison before he could be paroled. Despite their conviction, they continued to maintain their innocence. Elizabeth pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to probation. Currently, Ebenezer and Gregory are incarcerated in the New Jersey State Prison, while Jerry may continue to serve his time behind bars in another New Jersey prison.

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