#Julius jones charges professional#
Board member Scott Williams recused himself from the decision to avoid any appearance of conflict arising out of a professional relationship with one of Jones’ lawyers in an unrelated matter. I wasn’t involved in it in any way.”īoard members Adam Luck, Larry Morris, and Kelly Doyle voted in favor of recommending commutation, while Richard Smothermon voted against clemency. … Truth is,” Jones said, “I didn’t shoot that man. … Second, I am not the person responsible for taking Mr. Paul Howell, who I’ve heard was a caring and all-around good person. Testifying by video conference, Jones told the board: “First, I feel for the Howell family, for the tragic loss of Mr. His case has garnered worldwide attention amidst evidence of racial bias, incompetent representation, and possible innocence. Jones, who is Black, is scheduled to be executed November 18 on charges that he murdered Paul Howell, a white businessman, in 1999. Jordan’s is not a persuasive showing of actual innocence.The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has for a second time recommended that Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt grant clemency to death-row prisoner Julius Jones (pictured during the clemency hearing).įollowing a hearing on November 1, 2021, the board, citing doubts about Jones’ guilt, voted 3-1 to ask Stitt to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. Prosecutors also note that a federal district court addressed this issue, noting “the length of (Jones’) hair compared to Mr. Jones has long said he was framed by Jordan, and that Jordan is the actual killer.īut prosecutors say Tobey testified she never saw braids and that her testimony was referring to how much hair was visible between the top of the ear and the stocking cap, not the hair length. Jones’ attorneys suggest this was a better description of Jones’ co-defendant who testified against him, Christopher Jordan, who had corn-row braids at the time, and that the jury was never shown a photo of Jones taken a week before the murder that showed him with short, close-cropped hair. Paul Howell’s sister, Megan Tobey, who was an eyewitness to her brother’s killing, testified in court that the gunman was wearing a stocking cap that came down “about a half an inch to an inch” above his ears, and that hair was sticking out from both sides. Stavros Lambrinidis sent a letter to Stitt, urging him to grant Jones clemency.įollowing are some of the key arguments made by Jones’ attorneys, the response from prosecutors and how the case got here. This week, Ambassador of the European Union to the U.S. Since then, reality television star Kim Kardashian West, who visited Jones in prison, and athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, have urged Stitt to commute Jones’ death sentence and spare his life. The case has increasingly drawn attention since it was profiled in “The Last Defense,” a three-episode documentary produced by actress Viola Davis that aired on ABC in 2018 and outlined some of his defense team’s allegations.
Jones has consistently maintained his innocence. Jones, now 41, was convicted and sentenced to die for the 1999 shooting death of Paul Howell, a businessman from an affluent Oklahoma City suburb. Instead of allowing the execution to proceed, Stitt said he was commuting Jones’ sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Shortly after noon Thursday, the Republican governor announced he had granted Jones clemency.
Kevin Stitt weighed whether to spare his life. The clock was ticking for Jones as Oklahoma Gov.
#Julius jones charges trial#
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Julius Jones’ execution was halted Thursday, less than four hours before he was scheduled to receive a lethal injection following outcry over doubts about evidence at his murder trial nearly 20 years ago.
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