ABC 20/20 correspondent Matt Guttman investigates the October 2015 death of college junior Colin Brough. Near the Flagstaff campus of Northern Arizona University, Brough was at a party at an off-campus apartment complex around 1 am when he was shot dead. Three of his fraternity brothers, Nick Piring, Kyle Zientek, and Nick Prato were wounded. When the police arrived, former NAU student Steven Jones claimed that he shot the young men in self-defense. He says he was being harassed by the fraternity members, was punched in the face, and believed he was being chased by some of the men from the party when he ran to his car and pulled out a gun he kept in the glove compartment.
In May 2017, after a three-week trial which included bringing 37 witnesses to the stand including Jones and the surviving victims, Judge Dan Slayton declared a mistrial in the first-degree murder and aggravated assault trial of Steven Jones. The jury was unable to reach a verdict. A new trial is scheduled for October 10. Jones and his family are also facing a wrongful death lawsuit from Brough’s parents. It claims that Jones’ father, Warren Jones, a former NRA certified firearms instructor, “is financially responsible for the deadly incident because he improperly trained his son on the proper use of firearms.” When Steven Jones was interviewed by the police, he discussed at length about the training he received from his father and said that the gun was a gift from his father. 20/20 airs Fridays at 10pm on ABC.
