Jordan’s is not a persuasive showing of actual innocence.” 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. Will Joyce, mayor of Stillwater, took to Twitter to express his support for the Pardon and Parole Board's recommendation that Stitt grant Jones clemency on Wednesday, the day before Stitt made his decision to reduce Jones' sentence.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. Howell's sister, who witnessed her brother's murder, maintains that she saw Jones fire the gun - Jones' DNA was later found on a bandana the gun used to kill Howell was wrapped in. Jones' mother, Madeline Davis-Jones, has been one of his most outspoken supporters, asserting that Jones was with her at home during the time of Howell's murder. Jones' mother among those who protested his innocence Jones was 19 at the time of the murder and still maintains his innocence, offering instead that co-collaborator Christopher Jordan committed the crime and framed Jones by placing the murder weapon in Jones' parents' house. Jones, 41, has been on death row since 2002, when he was convicted for the 1999 murder of Paul Howell. Under that scenario, Jones would have immediately been eligible for parole on his murder conviction. Stitt's decision veers from the Pardon and Parole Board's recommendation to reduce Jones' sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole. "After prayerful consideration and reviewing materials presented by all sides of this case, I have determined to commute Julius Jones' sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole," Stitt said in a statement.Īs a condition of granting clemency, Stitt ordered that Jones shall never be eligible to apply for or be considered for a commutation, pardon, or parole for the rest of his life. local time Thursday for the 1999 murder of Paul Howell.įollowing a recommendation from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, Stitt on Thursday granted clemency to Jones, reducing the inmate's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Jones had been scheduled for execution at 4 p.m. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has spared the life of high-profile death row inmate Julius Jones by reducing his sentence from the death penalty to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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