![]() ![]() Many of those whose convictions were vacated are Black. One-third of Macy’s death penalty convictions have been overturned because of prosecutorial misconduct, the Innocence Project says. There are also questions about the record of District Attorney Bob Macy, who handled Jones’ case, reports indicate. One juror reportedly referred to Jones by the N-word and suggested that he be taken out behind the courthouse and shot, the Innocence Project says. White men on a jury are more likely to convict Black defendants and less likely to convict white defendants, he said. Research by Francis Flanagan, an associate professor in the department of economics at Wake Forest University, has shown that the racial makeup of a jury can have an impact on the case’s outcome.įlanagan told NPR recently that data shows juries composed of more Black jurors are much more likely to acquit criminal defendants across the board (both white defendants and Black defendants). Jones repeated that story in his retelling of the case to OUDaily.Īt trial, 11 out of the 12 jurors were white. The officer who arrested Jones reportedly called him the N-word, dared him to run and then implied he would be shot if he did. Innocence Project points to racial bias in the Jones case He got out of prison after serving 15 years behind bars. Jordan testified against Jones and received a plea agreement. When he was questioned by police, Jordan told police the gun was in Jones’ parents house. Jordan spent the night at Jones’ home after Howell’s murder, according to reports. Prosecutors say those cellmates are not credible, according to The Associated Press. They say they feel revictimized by the publicity the case has received, according to KOSU.Īttorneys for Jones argue there are serious problems with the case.Ĭhris Jordan, the co-defendant in this case, and at the time of the shooting a friend of Jones, allegedly admitted to at least three cellmates that he was the one to kill Howell - not Jones. Howell’s family testified before the parole board and said they are convinced of Jones’ guilt. Howell’s sister was an eyewitness to the crime. Moments later, he was shot and killed - the victim of a carjacking. ![]() Prosecutors have said Jones told a different story after his arrest.īut around the same time that evening, less than 20 miles away, Paul Howell was pulling up to his own parents’ house. That’s according to the Innocence Project, a nonprofit focused on exonerating the wrongly convicted. On the night of July 28, 1999, Jones says he was with his family at his parents’ Oklahoma City house having dinner and playing board games. Questions around Jones’ co-defendant’s story Oklahoma executed John Marion Grant in October and has several more executions planned for the coming months. If Jones’ execution goes ahead, it would be just the second in Oklahoma since 2015, when the state paused the practice after it was found to be using an incorrect mix of drugs in the process. Oklahoma uses lethal injection to conduct executions. The Oklahoma City Public Schools told The New York Times that more than 1,800 students across 13 schools participated in the demonstration. ![]() Students from several area schools took part in a walkout on Wednesday to protest Jones’ impending execution. “My heart breaks for Julius and so many others who have suffered from such tragic miscarriage of justice.” ![]() In just over two weeks, an innocent man could be put to death,” Kardashian West tweeted. “This is the cold machinery of the Death Penalty in America. Major names like reality star Kim Kardashian West, who has become a criminal justice advocate, and Baker Mayfield, quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, are calling for justice in Jones’ case. He could also delay the execution to take more time to review the case or allow the execution to go ahead as planned. If he decides to step in, Stitt could go with the parole board’s recommendation to commute Jones’ sentence. Kevin Stitt has not acted on the recommendation. Questions over Jones’ role in Howell’s murder led to Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board to recommend earlier this month that his death sentence be commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole, according to KOSU. Attorneys fighting for his freedom say the case leading to his conviction was seriously flawed. Jones has always maintained his innocence. Jones, 41, was sentenced to death for the 1999 shooting death of Paul Howell in Edmond, Okla. Family members, activists and celebrities are hoping their last-minute appeals to Oklahoma’s governor could save the life of Julius Jones, a man set to be executed at 4 p.m. ![]()
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