#JULIUS JONES CLEMENCY UPDATE FULL#
While we had hoped the Governor would adopt the Board’s recommendation in full by commuting Julius’s sentence to life with the possibility of parole in light of the overwhelming evidence of Julius’s innocence, we are grateful that the Governor has prevented an irreparable mistake," Julius Jones' attorney Amanda Bass said in a statement. Stitt took an important step today towards restoring public faith in the criminal justice system by ensuring that Oklahoma does not execute an innocent man. Stitt has ordered that Jones, 41, shall not be eligible to apply for or be considered for a commutation, pardon, or parole for the remainder of his life. In it, Stitt wrote neither he nor the pardon and parole board have authority under state law to commute a death sentence to life with the possibility of parole. The executive order granting clemency was filed with the Secretary of State's office at 11:47 a.m. "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. The governor's office has said Stitt was in prayer about the decision the past several days. He had met with the family of murder victim Paul Howell, prosecutors, defense attorneys and clergy in the days since, but not with Jones' family or supporters. Stitt's announcement Thursday was his first public statement on the board's Nov. The board made the same recommendation after Jones' commutation hearing in September - the first for a death row inmate in Oklahoma - but Stitt said at the time a clemency hearing was the appropriate venue for such a recommendation. 1, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recommended for a second time that Stitt commute Jones' death sentence to life with the possibility of parole.
“It also failed Julius by condemning him to death for something he did not do.After Jones' clemency hearing on Nov. “In these ways and more, the criminal justice system failed Mr.
#JULIUS JONES CLEMENCY UPDATE TRIAL#
Jones said in his commutation filing that the gun and bandanna were planted there by the actual killer.īut Jones’ attorney, Amanda Bass, said his criminal trial was corrupted by the use of junk forensic science, jailhouse informants and a plea deal for the co-defendant who testified against him. Investigators also found the murder weapon and a bandanna with Jones’ DNA in an attic space above his bedroom. Trial transcripts show witnesses identified Jones as the shooter and placed him with Howell’s stolen vehicle. Jones also maintains his trial was contaminated by a racist juror, but the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals rejected that claim. But Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and former state Attorney General Mike Hunter have said the evidence against Jones is overwhelming. Jones alleges he was framed by the actual killer, a high school friend and former co-defendant who was a key prosecution witness. Since then, reality television star Kim Kardashian West 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. Jones’ case drew attention after it was profiled in “The Last Defense,” a three-episode documentary produced by actress Viola Davis that aired on ABC in 2018.
She also said Jones has had so much money deposited into his inmate account in the last couple of years that he has sent $18,000 to family and friends. “Jones repeatedly and unequivocally told his attorneys that his parents were mistaken and that he was not at home the night of the murder,” said Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Crabb.Ĭrabb said Jones is a recognized member of the Bloods gang and that he has continued to commit criminal acts while in prison, including possessing contraband and using other inmate’s pin numbers to make telephone calls. Jones also testified that he was at home with his parents and siblings on the evening when Howell was killed, but prosecutors said Jones himself previously told his trial lawyers that wasn’t true. “Yes, I made mistakes in my youth, but I did not kill Mr.
He also denied committing a separate carjacking to which he pleaded guilty, saying he made the plea on the advice of his attorney. He admitted to the board on Monday that he began shoplifting clothes, jewelry and electronics, but denied that he ever committed any violent acts. Jones was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to die in the 1999 shooting death of Paul Howell during a carjacking in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond.
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