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Thread: Julius Darius Jones - Oklahoma

  1. #21
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    DNA testing further incriminates Oklahoma death row inmate who claims innocence

    OKLAHOMA CITY - A death row inmate whose innocence claim attracted national attention this summer has been further linked to a 1999 murder by a DNA test paid for by his defense.

    His attorneys had hoped the first test on a red bandanna would exonerate Julius Darius Jones and prove he had been set up to take the blame for the fatal shooting.

    It did not.

    A forensics lab in Virginia reported Monday that the DNA from a stain on the red bandanna worn by the killer "matches" Jones' DNA.

    Bode Cellmark Forensics put the probability of that incriminating result being a random match at 1 in 110 million in the U.S. African-American population.

    Prosecutors Tuesday said the results support the jury's verdict in the case. An attorney for the inmate said "there is much more to do moving forward and we are confident that in the end Mr. Jones will be vindicated."

    Jones, now 38, was convicted at a jury trial in 2002 of murdering Edmond insurance executive Paul Howell during a carjacking. Jurors chose the death penalty as punishment.

    The victim was gunned down on July 28, 1999, in his parents' driveway in Edmond after a back-to-school shopping trip with his daughters. Stolen was his 1997 Suburban.

    The victim's sister told police the shooter wore a red bandanna on his face. Police later found the murder weapon wrapped in the red bandanna in the attic above a bedroom at the home of Jones' parents.

    His attorneys have suggested a high school acquaintance, Christopher Jordan, actually did the shooting and planted the .25-caliber handgun in the attic.

    "I understand how it looks that they found this gun in my parents' house but I had nothing whatsoever to do with this robbery or this man's life being taken," Jones said in an interview from prison for the ABC docuseries, "The Last Defense."

    Jones was 19 at the time of his arrest three days after the shooting.

    After the docuseries aired, hundreds marched at the state Capitol in July in protest and chanted for him to be freed. In August, the Congressional Black Caucus wrote Gov. Mary Fallin from Washington, D.C., to urge her to "use your authority to correct this wrongful conviction."

    A number of the docuseries' viewers complained directly to Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and Attorney General Mike Hunter. "I am embarrassed to be a US citizen," one viewer wrote in an email. "What will you both do to right this hideous wrong & allow Mr. Jones to live the rest of his life with dignity & freedom as he so justly deserves?"

    After getting the results Tuesday, Prater said the testing "corroborates the jury's verdict and exonerates the investigators, prosecutors and jurors who the murderer's defenders have slandered."

    "Those defending the murderer have disseminated misinformation and lies regarding the trial and evidence in this case. We have never been afraid of the truth," the DA said. "The light of these results pierce the dark lies."

    Hunter called the lab results "an additional validation of the trial and appellate process in proving his guilt."

    The AG's office responds to appeals raised by convicts at all levels.

    "I hope and pray this result gives the family members and loved ones of Paul Howell peace of mind," Hunter said. "I also hope that through this process all Oklahomans who are victims of atrocious crimes know that my office will continue doing everything we can to ensure evil people who commit atrocious crimes will stay in prison.”

    The testing on the bandanna did not find DNA from Jordan, who admitted involvement in the carjacking and went to prison.

    But Dale Baich, an assistant federal public defender representing Jones, said the testing cannot tell when the DNA was deposited on the bandanna.

    "We have always known that Mr. Jones' DNA could be on the bandanna because his DNA was present in his parents' home where the red bandana was planted," he told The Oklahoman.

    The attorney said that Jordan — not Jones — matched the only eyewitness description of the shooter. He also said Jordan "was heard bragging that he set up Mr. Jones, and is now free after serving only 15 years."

    "While no one can draw any final conclusions at this stage, we do know that Julius Jones' trial was tainted by racial bias and there is overwhelming doubt about the fairness and reliability of the conviction and death sentence," Baich said.

    https://newsok.com/article/5613472/d...aims-innocence
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  2. #22
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    In today's orders, the United States Supreme Court declined to review Jones' petition for certiorari.

    Lower Ct: Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
    Case Numbers: (PCD-2017-654)
    Decision Date: September 5, 2017
    Rehearing Denied: October 4, 2017

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/search....c/17-6943.html

  3. #23
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    Why Did SCOTUS Sit on 2 Capital Cases for a Year?

    By Kent Scheidegger
    crimeandconsequences.com

    Congress enacted the Crime Victims Rights Act, 18 U.S.C. §3771, in 2004, providing among other rights for victims of federal offenses "the right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay." Two years later, Congress amended §3771 to extend its protection to federal habeas corpus proceedings in state criminal cases. It did not occur to Congress to protect victims from unreasonable delay by the United States Supreme Court on certiorari review of state cases because that had never been a problem.

    It is now.

    Wood v. Oklahoma, No. 17-6891, and Jones v. Oklahoma, No. 17-6943, involve the same issue the Supreme Court appropriately put to rest over 30 years ago in McCleskey v. Kemp. See my 2012 law review article for details. Now they want to dredge it back up with yet another study conducted by notorious anti-death-penalty advocates. Note that this is a claim that has nothing whatever to do with whether they committed the crimes and only a very remote relation to whether death is a just and proportionate penalty for their conduct. The Oklahoma courts said, correctly, that such a claim could not be raised for the first time in a successive post-conviction petition -- Wood's third and Jones's second. Such petitions should be reserved for true miscarriages of justice.

    The State filed its brief in opposition in Wood on January 29, 2018. The case was distributed for conference twenty-six times. This extraordinary number of relists has been the subject of considerable speculation. What on earth could possibly be taking so long? It does not take a year to say "Yes, we will hear it" or "No, we will not." It couldn't be that the Court was going to summarily reverse and was writing a per curiam opinion. The Court does not summarily reverse a decision when it rests on a valid state procedural ground and especially when deciding the merits in the petitioner's favor would require overruling a landmark precedent.

    So the only possibility that seemed to be left was that one or more Justices were writing opinions concurring or dissenting from denial of certiorari. But for nearly a year?

    Today, the Court denied certiorari without comment and with no separate opinions. What?! They held up long-overdue justice for a year for nothing?

    This is conduct unbecoming the high court, or any court for that matter. Victims deserve more respect, even if the statute does not specifically apply to this proceeding.

    http://www.crimeandconsequences.com/...pita.html#more

  4. #24
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    Holding out for a Supreme Court Justice to be appointed?
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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  5. #25
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    In today's United States Supreme Court orders, Jones' petition for a writ of certiorari was DENIED.

    Lower Ct: Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
    Case Numbers: (PCD-2017-1313)
    Decision Date: September 28, 2018

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/search....c/18-7658.html

  6. #26
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    Attorneys file clemency petition for death row inmate Julius Jones

    By K. Querry
    KFOR News

    OKLAHOMA CITY – After an Oklahoma death row inmate’s appeal for a judicial review was denied earlier this year, his attorneys have now filed a petition for clemency.

    In July of 1999, Edmond businessman Paul Howell was shot and killed in the driveway of his parents’ Edmond home. Investigators say the alleged suspect took off in Howell’s Suburban after killing the businessman.

    At the time of the crime, Julius Jones was a 19-year-old honor student on a scholarship at the University of Oklahoma.

    Jones was arrested and was put on trial for the murder. Jones never took the stand, and he was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death.

    His supporters said his original defense team failed him, never even bringing up his alibi for the night of the murder.

    However, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said those defending Jones have “disseminated misinformation and lies regarding the trial and evidence” in the case.

    The Jones family has always maintained Julius’ innocence.

    In January, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would not get involved in the case when Jones’ attorney argued that people of color in Oklahoma are more likely to be sentenced to death when the victim in the case is white.

    Weeks later, his attorneys filed a new appeal asking the court to consider evidence against a specific juror.

    That juror is accused of using a racial slur when referring to Jones during the trial, and reportedly told another member of the jury that someone should shoot Jones ‘behind the jail.’

    Defense attorneys say the judge in the case knew about the conversation, but didn’t remove the juror from the trial.

    However, the Supreme Court still denied Jones’ petition for a judicial review.

    Now, his attorney has filed a clemency petition for Jones’ case.

    To support the petition, several members of the community have issued statements to address concerns with the case.

    “At the time of Julius’ trial, the eyewitness description of the shooter did not fit Julius. Instead, it described his co-defendant who served 15 years and is now a free man. Julius’ attorney was an overworked public defender who failed to cross-examine Christopher Jordan, (Julius’ co-defendant,) on the six inconsistent statements he gave to police upon arrest. Christopher Jordan was later overheard bragging that he set-up Julius and was incentivized to testify for a shorter prison time. The evidence used to convict Julius was inconsistent and several eye-witnesses provided an alibi for Julius,” Oklahoma County One Commissioner Carrie Blumbert wrote.

    “We must acknowledge the harm done to the victims of this crime and to society at large. We should stand for justice, but we can do that and protect society without resorting to the death penalty. The use of the death penalty only contributes to the continued coarsening of society and to the spiral of violence. Taking another life does not ultimately bring closure and peace to those who have lost a loved one. Justice is necessary, but it is not enough. Mercy perfects justice and brings healing. I urge the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to consider commuting the death sentence for Julius Jones,” reads a statement from Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City.

    The clemency petition is under review by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, which will now determine whether his application can advance.

    In Oklahoma, only the governor can approve the commutation of a sentence.

    https://kfor.com/2019/10/16/attorney...-julius-jones/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  7. #27
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    Russell Westbrook, other NBA players band together to commute sentence for Oklahoman on death row

    Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook is taking the lead in trying to commute the sentence of Oklahoma man Julius Jones, who is currently on death row after being convicted of a 1999 murder — something that Jones vehemently denies to this very day.

    Westbrook was joined by Detroit Pistons veteran Blake Griffin, and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, as they all penned letters addressed to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and the state’s parole board. Russell Westbrook, who spent several years as part of the Oklahoma City Thunder prior to his move to the Rockets last summer, appealed for Jones’ case:

    “I love Oklahoma and the time I spent there. The Oklahomans I met are empathetic, kind and just, which is why it was easy to form such a special connection with the state and its people,” wrote Westbrook, via Tres Savage of NON DOC. “Unfortunately, I am contacting you today because I believe the state’s criminal justice system is on the verge of carrying out a grave injustice, one that is inconsistent with the values of the Oklahoma I know and love.”

    As for Griffin, who himself is an Oklahoma native and an alumnus of the University of Oklahoma, also expressed his incessant belief that Jones is innocent:

    “I feel terrible for everyone involved in the tragic events of the summer of 1999; however, I do believe that the wrong person is being punished for this crime,” wrote Griffin. “We know Oklahoma’s justice system can be flawed, and as a Christian I see the injustice that can happen. I believe everyone is created equal in the Lord’s eyes and as such I urge you to take heart into this case.”

    Young, a former OU standout, joined Westbrook and straight-up called out the legal system that “failed” Jones:

    “I and so many other people have been called to raise concerns regarding Julius Jones’ case because of the many obvious ways in which the legal system failed him,” wrote Young.

    Oklahoma is one of many states in the U.S. that continues to advocate the death penalty. It is undeniable that there are more than a few individuals that are wrongfully sentenced to death, and in the mind of Westbrook, Griffin, Young, and many others, they strongly believe that Jones is one of these victims.

    https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-ru...-on-death-row/
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    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  8. #28
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    Baker Mayfield goes to bat for Oklahoma death row inmate, asks governor to commute sentence

    Baker Mayfield, the Cleveland Browns quarterback and former Oklahoma Sooners star, wrote a letter to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt demanding death row inmate Julius Jones have his sentence commuted.

    Mayfield, along with NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Trae Young and Blake Griffin, wrote in support of Jones, who he feels was wrongly convicted of first-degree murder in 2002. All aforementioned athletes were star athletes in the state.

    “Beyond the obvious shortcomings of the trial, another issue that continues to weigh on me is the obvious racial bias that permeated Julius’ arrest, prosecution and conviction,” the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback wrote in his letter. “Every American is supposed to be guaranteed a fair and impartial trial. But when your arresting officer calls you the 'N-word,' when a juror calls you the 'N-word' and when all of this unfolds in the context of decades of death penalty convictions slanted against black men, it is impossible to conclude that Julius received fair and impartial treatment.

    “The Oklahomans I met are not racist; they are not mean-spirited, and they do not wish to participate in injustice in this day and age. That is why I am confident that when Oklahomans become aware of the facts surrounding Julius Jones and his conviction, they will demand that his sentence be commuted.”

    Jones has maintained his innocence throughout his prison stay and applied for clemency in October 2019 to the Oklahoma Pardon & Parole Board, according to The Oklahoman. Jones’ supporters have cited multiple errors in the trial, including a shoddy legal team and jurors’ racial bias.

    State officials have stood by the decision in Jones’ case. When Rep. Kendra Horn wrote to Stitt in December 2019 in support of Jones, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said Horn formed an opinion without researching “the true facts.”

    “It matters not to me the number of foolish people who will sign a petition supporting the murderer without even researching the public record of the case,” Prater said at the time, according to The Oklahoman. “They are entitled to their uninformed opinion about the killer, but they don’t have the right to spin their own set of lies and half-truths. It is important to note that the case has been reviewed by both state and federal courts through the appellate process. Every court has affirmed the guilt and sentence of this killer.”

    (source: Fox News)
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  9. #29
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    AG criticizes death row inmate's advocates

    Attorney General Mike Hunter on Monday complained advocates for convicted murderer Julius Jones have manipulated the facts of his case to mislead the public in an orchestrated effort to get him off of death row and perhaps out of prison entirely.

    He said he was speaking out on behalf of murder victim Paul Howell and his family.

    "The pain of their loss is revisited with each misguided public appeal on Mr. Jones' behalf," he said of the family. "Julius Jones had his day in court, numerous times."

    Jones, 39, is facing execution for the 1999 fatal shooting of the Edmond insurance executive during a carjacking. Jurors chose the death penalty as punishment at a 2002 trial.

    The victim was gunned down in his parents' driveway in Edmond after a back-to-school shopping trip with his daughters. Stolen was his 1997 Suburban.

    Jones always has insisted he is innocent. He received widespread support for his innocence claim after ABC in 2018 aired the documentary series, "The Last Defense," about his case. He is now seeking commutation of his death sentence.

    Prominent athletes including Russell Westbrook and celebrities including Kim Kardashian West have urged Gov. Kevin Stitt to grant Jones' clemency.

    Joining them last month was Baker Mayfield, the former Oklahoma quarterback who now plays for the Cleveland Browns.

    "I care deeply for Oklahoma," Mayfield wrote. "And that is why I am eagerly writing in support of Julius Jones, a young man I believe has been wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death."

    Last week, Hunter advised the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board that it can recommend commutation of death row inmates to the governor. He said he spoke to the Howell family about that advice and was moved by the conversation.

    "Paul was a wonderful person who shouldn't have lost his life," Hunter said.

    The attorney general asked advocates of Jones to be responsible in their efforts.

    "There is a good deal of misinformation out there that we're dealing with. I can't count the number of emails I've gotten from folks who have been told certain things that I think are not consistent with the evidence at trial and with the facts," he said at a news conference.

    "I'm not trying to question anybody's heart. We've heard from a lot of celebrities. I know that they believe they're doing the right thing based on what they've been told. I'm just not sure that they've been told the right things consistently."

    The attorney general released Monday an 12-page summary of the evidence against Jones and he highlighted some of the most damaging facts during his remarks at the news conference.

    The attorney general pointed out, for instance, that the murder weapon was found wrapped in a red bandana hidden in the attic space above the ceiling of the closet of Jones' room at his parents' house. He also pointed out that a test on DNA on the bandana — done at the request of the defense — found in 2018 that it matched Jones' DNA.

    The probability of the DNA belonging to someone other than Jones was 1 in 110 million, he said.

    The attorney general also said that the public needs to know about Jones' other violent brushes with the law, including the armed robbery of a jewelry store. Hunter said Jones pleaded guilty to a robbery that involved a carjacking outside a Hideaway the week before the fatal shooting.

    An attorney for Jones criticized the attorney general's remarks.

    "The attorney general’s allegations that Julius was a violent criminal as a youth are just that — allegations," said Dale Baich, an assistant public defender. "Moreover, these are the same allegations of uncharged and unproved conduct that the prosecution paraded before Julius’s jury 20 ago to argue that he deserved to die"

    Baich suggested the remarks resemble "the all-too familiar pattern of state actors disparaging the characters of Black victims of systemic racism and inequality to detract from, if not legitimize, what happened to them."

    Also commenting after the news conference were Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma NAACP, the ACLU of Oklahoma and Jones' mother.

    Speaking at a church, the mother, Madeline Davis-Jones, repeated her claim her son was home the night of the shooting. She said the family played Monopoly together and ate spaghetti for dinner.

    "We often hear that Julius’ death sentence is about 'justice' or 'closure.' This cannot be true, however, because we know Mr. Howell’s real killer is still out there," she said. "Nothing is 'just' about executing our boy, who spent one of his last nights as a free man with his family playing board games. His death will not provide closure or healing. Only the truth can do that."

    https://oklahoman.com/article/566618...formed-ag-says
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  10. #30
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    Jones to appear before Pardon and Parole Board in March

    Julius Jones, a death row inmate whose innocence battle has gained notoriety over the years as athletes and celebrities joined his cause, will have his case heard in March by the state’s Pardon and Parole Board.

    Jones, who is now 40, was convicted decades ago in the 1999 slaying of Paul Howell, an Edmond businessman. Howell, who had just taken his daughters shopping, was gunned down in front of his home. Jones was 19 at the time of Howell’s death.

    Jones is seeking to have his sentence commuted at the hearing in March. Pardon and Parole Board director Tom Bates told The Frontier that Jones’ case likely will be heard on March 8, though the board is holding additional meetings that week.

    Jones’ case will be a first for the pardon and parole board. As a death row inmate, it was unclear until last year whether his case could even be heard by the board. Board members posed the question last summer to Attorney General Mike Hunter, who eventually replied that former AG Scott Pruitt had issued an opinion that while death row inmates could not be paroled, there were “no limits” on commutation power.

    Jones is only eligible for a Stage 1 review, where the board takes a brief look at his case and votes on whether to pass him to Stage 2. A Stage 2 review allows for a deeper look at the case by the board.

    An inmate who passes Stage 2 then has their case sent to Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has the final say on whether or not to commute the sentence.

    Jones has maintained his innocence for decades, but was convicted after his co-defendant, Chris Jordan, testified against him, saying Jones shot Howell.

    Jones was given the death penalty while Jordan, who also was convicted of 1st-degree murder in the case, was given a greatly reduced sentence and left prison in 2014 after serving 13 years behind bars.

    Jones’ attorneys have argued his trial was flawed and that Jones was harmed by poor legal representation, a racist juror who allegedly called him a racial slur and shoddy work by police and prosecutors.

    But he sits today on death row having exhausted his legal appeals. Hunter, whose office has been involved in the legal wrangling over both Jones’ case and the death penalty in Oklahoma, has repeatedly maintained that he believes Jones is guilty.

    On Thursday, more than 100 supporters of Jones marched to the state’s Pardon and Parole Board and delivered a petition with more than 6 million signatures.

    Jones has maintained his innocence, and his case has drawn the attention of reality star Kim Kardashian West and several professional athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, who have urged Stitt to commute Jones’ death sentence and spare his life.

    March’s hearing could be Jones’ last shot at staving off execution. His attorneys previously told The Frontier that without a way to get his case back into court, a commutation is Jones’ last chance, even if it merely reduces his sentence from the death penalty to life in prison.

    When the death penalty will resume in Oklahoma is another matter. Executions were put on pause in Oklahoma in 2015 after a series of high-profile mistakes in the execution of 2 inmates and multiple attempted executions of a third. And though the state announced last year it was prepared to move forward with lethal injection as its primary execution method, the resumption of the death penalty in Oklahoma remains on hold as a legal challenge winds its way through the federal court system.

    (Source: The Enid News & Eagle)

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