JULIUS JONES OKLAHOMA BASKETBALL TRIAL

Jones’ case drew attention after it was profiled in “The Last Defense,” a three-episode documentary produced by actress Viola Davis that aired on ABC in 2018. She also said Jones has had so much money deposited into his inmate account in the last couple of years that he has sent $18,000 to family and friends. “Jones repeatedly and unequivocally told his attorneys that his parents were mistaken and that he was not at home the night of the murder,' said Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Crabb.Ĭrabb said Jones is a recognized member of the Bloods gang and that he has continued to commit criminal acts while in prison, including possessing contraband and using other inmate's pin numbers to make telephone calls.

JULIUS JONES OKLAHOMA BASKETBALL TRIAL

Jones also testified that he was at home with his parents and siblings on the evening when Howell was killed, but prosecutors said Jones himself previously told his trial lawyers that wasn't true. “Yes, I made mistakes in my youth, but I did not kill Mr. He also denied committing a separate carjacking to which he pleaded guilty, saying he made the plea on the advice of his attorney. He admitted to the board on Monday that he began shoplifting clothes, jewelry and electronics, but denied that he ever committed any violent acts. Jones was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to die in the 1999 shooting death of Paul Howell during a carjacking in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond. The state resumed lethal injections last week after a six-year hiatus, putting a man to death for the 1998 stabbing death of a prison cafeteria worker. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has set a Nov. The last time a governor granted clemency to someone on death row was in 2010, by Democrat Brad Henry. Mary Fallin, rejected three separate recommendations for clemency for people on death row. Stitt’s predecessor, fellow Republican Gov. “Our office will not offer further comment until the governor has made a final decision.' “Governor Stitt is aware of the Pardon and Parole Board's vote today,' Stitt spokeswoman Carly Atchison said in a statement. Jones' fate now rests with Stitt, who must decide whether to let Jones be executed or commute his sentence. Jones' theory of the case, you have to disbelieve every other piece of evidence in the case,' including testimony from law enforcement officers, independent witnesses and physical evidence, Smothermon said. The lone vote against clemency came from Richard Smothermon, a former prosecutor, who said he believed Jones was not being truthful in his testimony. “I continue to believe there is still doubt in this case,' said board member Kelly Doyle. One board member, Scott Williams, recused himself from the vote because of an existing friendship with an attorney who has advocated for Jones. Several members of the panel agreed they had doubts about the evidence that led to Jones’ conviction. The board recommended in 3-1 votes that Stitt grant Jones clemency and commute his sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole after hearing from Jones, 41, who testified via video link from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

Kevin Stitt spare the life of Julius Jones, a man who has been on death row while proclaiming his innocence for more than two decades in the 1999 killing of a suburban Oklahoma City businessman.

“And the truth is that I did not shoot that man.OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole Board on Monday recommended that Gov.

This is about the truth,” Jones said during his clemency hearing this month. 25 in Oklahoma City, where they presented a petition with over 6.2 million signatures calling for Jones' death sentence to be commuted.

Supporters of Julius Jones march to the offices of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board on Feb.

What’s more, prosecutors relied too heavily on testimony from a co-defendant who was given a lighter sentence for his involvement in the same murder, according to Jones. Specifically, they point to Jones’ defense attorneys’ neglecting to question family members during the trial who claimed they were eating dinner with Jones at the time of the murder. Jones, who has always maintained his innocence, and his supporters say new evidence shows he was wrongfully convicted. Jones was found guilty and sentenced to death in 2002 for the murder of Oklahoma businessman Paul Howell. In a statement, Stitt said Jones' sentence was being commuted “on the condition that he shall never again be eligible to apply for, be considered for, or receive any additional commutation, pardon, or parole.”

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