A Man on Death Row Is A Step Closer To Freedom

Anti-death penalty protests Jan. 15, 2021. [Reuters/Bryan Woolston]

Julius Jones, an Oklahoma man who has been on the state’s death row for nearly 20 years, moved a step closer to freedom this month.

Jones and his lawyers argued that his death sentence was due to racial discrimination and inadequate defense, and there is evidence showing that he is likely innocent. On March 8, the state’s pardon board greenlit his clemency application.

Jones’ case was thrust into the spotlight last year after Kim Kardashian rallied behind him, and he’s amassed more high-profile support recently. NBA stars Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin, along with NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield sent letters to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt asking that he free Jones. Kardashian, who became interested in Jones’ case after watching the ABC documentary series The Last Defense, which chronicled his case, visited him in prison this past fall and has called on Stitt to free him also.

“A crime I did not commit, did not witness, and was not at”

In 2002, at the age of 22, Jones was sentenced to death for the murder of businessman Paul Howell during a carjacking. His high school basketball teammate, Christopher Jordan, was alleged to have carried out the murder alongside Jones. Jordan was convicted of the murder too, but he cooperated with the prosecution and testified against Jones, ultimately securing a reduced sentence of 30 years, though he served half of that.

There was evidence disputing his testimony, however. Howell’s sister, the only witness to the shooting, described the shooter as wearing a stocking cap with a half-inch of hair sticking out. A picture of Jones taken days before the shooting showed him with closely cropped hair, though the jury never got to consider the discrepancy because his trial lawyer never showed them the photograph. He also had an alibi — his family said he was at home eating pasta and playing board games at the time of the shooting. Tasked with deciding whether Jones would be sentenced to death was a jury that included just one Black person. According to a juror, another juror called Jones a racial slur during the trial but was still permitted to keep serving.

“I have spent the past twenty years on death row for a crime I did not commit, did not witness, and was not at,” Jones wrote in his 2019 clemency petition. “I feel terrible for Mr. Howell and his family, but I was not responsible.”

Last year, a prisoner who was incarcerated with Jordan in Arkansas said he admitted to carrying out the shooting, then framing Jones. “My co-defendant is on death row behind a murder I committed,” the prisoner recalled Jordan telling him in a letter to Jones’ lawyer.

A final chance at freedom

After considering this evidence, Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board voted 3–1 on March 8 to advance Jones’ application for clemency to the next stage. In this part of the process, the board will take a deeper look at the case and speak with Jones, his lawyers, law enforcement and prosecutors. They’ll then decide whether to recommend that Governor Stitt, who has the final say, grant the application to free Jones. Prosecutors have maintained that Jones’ conviction was just and asked the pardon and parole board to reject his plea for clemency.

The movement behind Jones

Jones’ supporters have created a coalition called “Justice for Julius” to raise awareness about the case. They’re urging people to sign a change.org petition that has already garnered more than 6 million signatures and email the pardon and parole board asking that they decide in Jones’ favor.

Making Jones’ clemency plea even more urgent, Oklahoma is restarting executions after a five-year hiatus because of two botched executions. It’s unclear where Jones falls in the state’s list of planned executions, but judging by prosecutors’ insistence on upholding his death sentence, clemency may be the best chance he has at freedom.