'I WAS LYING': Man recants testimony that helped convict brothers of Shannon Siders' murder
Dean Robinson, the prosecution's key witness, signed an affidavit claiming he was lying on the witness stand during the 2015 trial that convicted Paul & Matt Jones.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A man whose testimony helped convict brothers Matthew and Paul Jones in the 1989 grisly murder of Shannon Siders told a private investigator that he lied under oath, re-opening new questions and old wounds with a case that had seemingly brought a family and a community closure 6 years ago.
Dean Allan Robinson, who was a key witness in the People's case, has come forward with the help of a private investigator, admitting that everything he said under oath during the 2015 trial was untrue.
"My testimony during the trial... was given to me by law enforcement," Robinson, 51, said in a signed affidavit. "I did not have any personal knowledge regarding Matt or Paul Jones, nor did I witness their involvement in a homicide."
Robinson, who is currently serving time for an assault with intent to commit great-bodily harm, provided the statement initially to Bill Proctor who has been working with the Jones family since 2020.
"The Jones brothers did not do this," Proctor said. "It's unfortunate that the police, the cold case squad and the prosecutor decided not to listen to what was reason.
"That's how we got to this place today."
Proctor says over the past year, while working with family members, he's collected reams of documents with information, including a list of 15 people who took polygraph tests.
"There's a list of suspects beyond the Jones brothers," Proctor said. "When you look at what happened at trial, when you look at the number of people who came to swear that they heard the brothers say incriminating statements at a party, it sounds as if this is a hearsay trial because there is no forensic evidence indicating the Jones brothers had anything to do with Shannon Siders' death."
Proctor, who says he's helped free 10 people who have been wrongfully convicted, has re-opened the Siders' investigation—talking to witnesses, jurors and others—and has been sharing his findings on a website, "Who Killed Shannon Siders."
"Dean Robinson was one of two people who claimed under oath to be witnesses to the assault of Shannon Siders in the Manistee National Forest," Proctor said. "This didn't happen, and we got together to create the document that [Robinson] signed in front of a notary."
Six years ago, a Newaygo County Circuit Court jury found Matthew Jones guilty of first-degree murder and was sent to prison for life without parole. Paul Jones was convicted by a second jury of second-degree murder and got 30 to 75 years in prison.
Shannon Siders disappeared July 18, 1989, after partying with friends, including the Jones brothers.
Three months later, her body was found by a hunter in Manistee National Forest.
More than 32 years later, Proctor knows the path forward to possibly freeing the Jones brothers will be painful for many, and will be an immense challenge, personally, but also realizes he may be their only hope.
The brothers have exhausted all appeals.
"Unfortunately, at this point, the community will not be able to hold onto the closure they've had for these last six years," Proctor said. "And at this point, they're going to have to ask new questions, and they're back to the beginning: Who killed Shannon Siders."
Proctor says Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has been made aware of his findings, including Robinson's signed affidavit. He hopes to get in front of a judge for an evidentiary hearing in early 2022.
13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to both Newaygo County Prosecutor Worth Stay for comment, but we never received a response.
13 ON YOUR SIDE also contacted Bob Siders—Shannon Siders' father—but he declined to comment, saying he wants to learn more details.
