But that doesn’t mean that it cannot be done. Dale Baich, one of Jones’ attorneys, said, “To our knowledge, this is the first time that a death-row prisoner has asked for a commutation before a scheduled execution date. If Jones is denied a hearing, or the board does not recommend a commutation, he will still be entitled to a lengthier clemency hearing 21 days before any scheduled execution. The board has asked Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, whose office in counsel of record opposing Jones in court and clemency proceedings, to determine whether Oklahoma law permits the board to consider a commutation application in those circumstances. Jones’ case has also presented a novel question to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board - whether it can conduct a commutation hearing for a death-row prisoner who is not yet facing an execution date. One member of the nearly all-white jury reportedly said that the trial was “a waste of time” and “they should just take the n****r out and shoot him behind the jail.” The second involved juror racism in Jones’ case. The first presented statistical evidence of systemic racial disparities in Oklahoma’s use of the death penalty. Supreme Court denied review of two separate claims that Jones’ trial was tainted by racial bias. He was released after serving 15 years in prison. Jordan made a deal with prosecutors to testify against Jones in exchange for reduced charges. An eyewitness description of the shooter matched Jordan’s appearance, not Jones’. His court-appointed trial lawyers failed to call any of several available alibi witnesses, did not cross-examine his co-defendant, Christopher Jordan, and did not call Jones to testify on his own behalf. Jones was only 19 at the time of the crime. Jones, who is Black, has constantly maintained his innocence in the 1999 killing of white businessman Paul Howell. His case was profiled in the 2018 documentary series, The Last Defense rap superstar Common and reality TV celebrity Kim Kardashian West have joined his cause and Black Lives Matter-OKC included his commutation as one of its demands for local criminal legal system reforms. The influence of racial bias in Jones’ case has come under particular scrutiny amidst nationwide protests calling for an end to police brutality and racially biased criminal justice policies.įor a commutation hearing, which was submitted to the Pardon and Parole Board in October 2019, included letters of support from faith and civil rights leaders, three NBA stars with strong Oklahoma connections, an Oklahoma County commissioner, Witness to Innocence, and Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform. Jones’ case, which raises disturbing questions of innocence, official misconduct, and racial bias, has attracted the growing backing of celebrities, athletes, and racial justice organizations who have called on the state of Oklahoma to remove him from death row. The question facing the board is whether Oklahoma law permits it to conduct clemency proceedings for a death-row prisoner who does not face an active death warrant. As high-profile support mounts in the campaign for clemency for death-row prisoner Julius Jones (pictured), the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has turned to the prosecutors who are seeking his execution - the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office - for advice on whether it can consider his petition at all.
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