The name recognition of the athletes - all of whom have strong ties to Oklahoma - is something organizers hope will resonate, especially in the present moment. "As more details come to light regarding his situation, I join with many voices to express sadness and profound concern regarding his conviction and death sentence." " conviction was tainted by a deeply flawed process," Westbrook, the longtime face of the Oklahoma City Thunder who is now with the Houston Rockets, wrote in his letter. The Julius Jones Coalition, a group established in 2019 composed of family, friends and community organizers pursuing Jones' innocence, has gathered support in recent months as NBA stars Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Trae Young and Buddy Hield and NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield authored and sent letters to the governor's office.Įach letter hit a key issue that led to Jones' conviction - racial bias, a flawed investigation, an ill-equipped defense - and points to the wrong person sitting on death row.
Howell's sister, Megan Tobey, was the only eyewitness.Īfter a three-day search for a suspect described as a young black male wearing a white shirt, a skull or stocking cap, and a red bandana over his face, Jones, then 19, was arrested. Two shell casings were found at the scene. The 45-year-old businessman was shot in the head on July 28, 1999, while sitting in a tan GMC Suburban in his parents' driveway in Edmond, Oklahoma. In 2002, Jones was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Paul Howell. He's on death row, serving time for a crime he maintains he didn't commit, in a cell alongside 53 others stacked in two rows inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. On Thursday, Julius Jones' death sentence was commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.įOR JULIUS JONES, H Unit has been home for 18 years.
She described a man with hair, but Jones’ head was shaved at the time.Editor's note: This story was originally published on June 17, 2020.
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Moreover, there was only one eyewitness to the crime and her description of the killer doesn’t match Jones. Jones himself was not called to testify on his own behalf either.
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However, Jones’ trial lawyers did not call his family to present this alibi at his original trial. Stitt has yet to sign the recommendation, despite some serious doubts about Jones’ guilt.Īt the time of Howell’s murder, Jones’ parents and sister say he was having dinner with them at his home. Kevin Stitt was sent a recommendation from Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board, which voted 3-1 in favor of clemency. Kardashian West has entered a late stage act of her career as a justice system reform advocate, and she’s visited Jones in prison to learn more details of his case and join his quest for clemency.Īs of this writing, Jones is still scheduled be executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on Thursday, November 18. He was 19 when he was convicted and sent to death row, and has spent the last two decades saying he had no part in the killing of a Oklahoma businessman named Paul Howell, and his fight has won him some high profile allies like Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, Trae Young and, notably, Kim Kardashian West. Julius Jones has spent nearly 20 years behind bars for the 1999 murder of a man he says he didn’t kill.
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