Murder case dismissed against 94-year-old. Victim’s family says he’s committed civilly.

The criminal case against a now 94-year-old Trenton man accused of gunning down a neighbor in 2021 was dismissed earlier this year, records show.
Mercer County authorities are prohibited from explaining why, due to confidentiality, but the victim’s family says it’s because the man, Clent Morris, was committed to an institution after a judge ruled he could not stand trial for murder.
Morris is civilly committed, said Carl Jones, the son of Cheryl Jones, who Morris was charged with killing in her Sheridan Avenue home in April 2021.
And Carl is far from pleased with how the case has unfolded. His family has no justice for their mother, and he’s grossly unsatisfied with the justice system, and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
“It was a mess, a huge mess, and nobody’s taken responsibility for it,” Jones said.
Cheryl Jones, 65, cared for Morris, driving him to errands and generally looking after her elderly neighbor a few doors away.
Morris, at the age of 90, appeared at her door one night and – for reasons that have never been explained – brought a gun and shot Jones multiple times. (Carl Jones suspects he was having a mental episode but remains unsure.)
Trenton police officers heard the shots from the department’s nearby parking lot and ran to the house and arrested Morris on the interior stairs of Cheryl Jones’ home, steps away from Jones’ boyfriend, who was in their bedroom and ill at the time.
They found the handgun on the stairs and the holster outside, near a mortally wounded Jones.
Prosecutors initially argued in court to keep Morris detained pending trial, which a judge granted.
Carl Jones said that began years of behavior by Morris that led to the criminal case falling apart. Morris would not attend court hearings, refusing to leave his jail cell, and Jones believes prosecutors waited too long to have him evaluated by a psychiatrist.
He suspected Morris was headed for an insanity defense, and updates from the prosecutors grew more vague.
On April 22, the case against Morris was dismissed in Superior Court. The final filing says simply, “This indictment was dismissed in court on Monday April 22, 2024.”
No other explanation is given. His exact whereabouts are unknown.
Morris had been charged with murder, two firearms charges and burglary.
The Public Defender’s office, which represented Morris, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Around that time, Carl Jones had an online meeting with Mercer prosecutors, who he said tried to explain the case, but were unable to share certain details. “They kept saying, ‘their hands are tied,’” Jones said.
“I even asked, ‘How would you feel if you were in my shoes?’”
“And there was nothing but silence,” Jones said.
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Kevin Shea may be reached at [email protected]