Jordan was allowed to plead guilty to murder. The same panel of jurors took only three hours to decide his sentence – death. What did not come out at trial, because it was not disclosed to the defense by prosecutors, was that Jordan spent the night of the shooting at the Jones family home, which would have given him the ability to hide the items there if he were, as Jones claimed, the actual shooter.Ī jury convicted Jones of murder in 2002. Jordan also gave police information leading them to the Jones family home, where authorities found the gun used in the crime and a red bandana worn by the assailant.
Jordan avoided the death penalty and was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in exchange for his testimony against Jones. They did, however, hear from Christopher Jordan, who was initially implicated in the crime.
Julius jones clemency update trial#
Jurors at the trial did not hear from Jones, who did not testify in his defense as was his constitutionally protected right. Jones, according to witnesses, fired one shot at Howell from a handgun before driving off in the victim's automobile. If you believe the evidence presented by the prosecution at the original trial, Julius Jones approached a vehicle driven by 45-year-old Paul Howell as he pulled into the driveway of his home after an evening out with his two young daughters and sister, also inside the vehicle. Whether his testimony at the hearing persuades Oklahoma's Governor Stitt to commute Jones' sentence is still a matter of "wait-and-see." Carjacking and death witnessed by victim's daughters Although the second vote of the board was identical to its first, it was evident from testimony at the recent hearing that some continue to doubt whether Jones deserves clemency. His followers, including Kim Kardashian and two prominent NFL quarterbacks, gathered more than a million signatures on a petition in support of Jones. This is the same board that voted 3 to 1 in September to recommend the governor commute his death sentence to life imprisonment. Stitt to take him off of death row and accept the recommendation of his Pardon and Parole Board.Convicted of murder in a 1999 carjacking and facing a November 18th execution date, Julius Jones received a chance to plead his case for clemency before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. However, the Pardon and Parole Board also plays a role in this system, and in this case, they have recommended clemency. Our judicial system gives judges and juries the responsibility to determine guilt and sentencing. “More than two decades later, however, I have many constituents who still have questions. “Paul Howell’s murder was a terrible tragedy for his family and this entire community,” Stinson said. Stinson probably made the purest argument for mercy. The bill failed to get a floor hearing in the House but is still available to be heard next session. The unit would make one last ditch effort to investigate cases where a person sentenced to death is making a plausible claim of actual innocence supported by information or evidence not previously presented and capable of being investigated or resolved. McDugle authored House Bill 1551 last session that would authorize the Pardon and Parole Board to establish a Conviction Integrity Review Unit to review convictions of inmates who have received death sentences. Kevin McDugle, R-Broken Arrow, while stopping short of opposing the death penalty outright, is concerned with the way it is applied. Logan Phillips, R-Mounds, has also taken the time to look into the case and is worried that the state may be executing an innocent man. All three have doubts, based on concerns from constituents and other information, about whether the judge, jury, and appellate system got it right. Garry Mize and Preston Stinson both represent the Edmond area where the crime was committed, and Stillwater Rep. It’s unlikely they’ll gain any political advantage for their actions. In the law-and-order atmosphere that exists in the moment, it takes some courage for them to speak out. Executive clemency is solely his call.Īn unusual circumstance of the Jones case is the request of five Republican House members who are urging Stitt to grant clemency. Unless he chooses to say - and perhaps even if he does say something - no one may ever know the true basis for his decision. This may be one of those things Stitt never anticipated when he decided he wanted to be governor. Seldom does one person have the ability, purely as a matter of forbearance, to spare the life of another human being. Stitt will need to decide this week about whether to follow the recommendation of the Pardon and Parole Board and grant clemency to Julius Jones who was convicted of murder in Oklahoma County and sentenced to death.
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