Court records show governor-appointed judge ended probation months before murder charge

Court records show a district court judge, William Jones, appointed earlier this year by Governor Josh Stein, terminated probation for a repeat assault offender in April, months before the same defendant was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Buncombe County.

The defendant, Johnathan David Paleno, 21, of Cullowhee, is charged with the first-degree murder of Joseph Solmon Rose, 18. Rose’s body was found Dec. 12 on Gilbert B. Crook Road in the Candler community. Investigators say Rose was killed on or about Nov. 24. He was reported missing on Dec. 2 in Asheville. 

At a press conference, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said a preliminary autopsy determined Rose died from a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators traced evidence to Jackson County, where a vehicle linked to the scene was recovered. Paleno was arrested Dec. 19 and is being held without bond at the Buncombe County Detention Facility.

A review of North Carolina Judicial Branch eCourts records shows Paleno had multiple assault convictions in 2023 across Haywood County and Asheville, including cases involving women and resistance to law enforcement. Following those convictions, Paleno faced a misdemeanor probation violation in Jackson County.

In April, Judge Bill Jones ordered the probation violation terminated and closed the case without additional supervision, according to eCourts. The file contains no written explanation for the termination. Within months of that order, investigators allege, Rose was killed.

Paleno’s Buncombe County case (25CR490335-100) charges first-degree murder. He has appeared in district court, a public defender has been appointed, and a disposition hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2026. As with all criminal cases, Paleno is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.