![]() ![]() The editorial claims that a white T-shirt taken from Jones’ bedroom illustrates his guilt. But no blood or biological fluid was detected on that shirt, which one would expect to find given the shooter’s close proximity to the victim.įinally, the editorial dismisses outright the racism that tainted the fairness of Jones’ trial, ignoring a juror’s sworn affidavit about the racism she personally witnessed among those who decided Jones’ guilt and sentenced him to die. Finally, the editorial board would know that the limited test results provide no information about how DNA was deposited onto the bandanna which could have been transferred during the police handling of items in Jones’ bedroom. It also would know that it’s not accurate to describe the DNA as a “match” to Jones since that simple conclusion isn’t supported by the limited test results. If The Oklahoman reviewed the DNA report supporting Jones’ clemency petition, its readers would know that the DNA results on the bandanna include degraded DNA from three or more people. The Oklahoman claims that DNA results from testing of a red bandanna incriminate Jones. The two main witnesses against Jones were confidential informants for the police and received deals on unrelated charges. ![]() The prosecution told jurors that the co-defendant would serve 30 years of a life sentence but, inexplicably, he was released after serving just 15 years. However, neither they nor any other witness were called in Jones’ defense at trial. His family members were prepared to testify that he was at home during the crime’s commission. At the time, Jones’ hair was much shorter than half-an-inch and closely cropped - a fact documented by a photograph never shown to his jury. She described the assailant as having half-an-inch of hair sticking out from his cap. ![]() Julius Jones didn’t match the description of the assailant that the only eyewitness to the crime provided to police. Regarding “Facts temper leniency calls” (Our Views, Oct. Point of View: Facts support clemency for Oklahoma death row inmate ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.Below is an op-ed written by Julius Jones’ attorneys, published by The Oklahoman on Sunday, October 27, 2019: Newsweek reached out to Stitt's office for comment but did not hear back before publication. The board voted 3-1 to grant him clemency and recommended he instead face life in prison without the potential for one day receiving parole, according to The Oklahoman.Īfter the board's vote, the final decision on whether Jones would be granted clemency fell to Stitt, whose office told the paper at the time it was aware of the board's decision. In early November, Jones spoke with the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to request clemency ahead of his execution. Rachel Howell, his daughter, recently told CNN that Jones' family and legal team "want people to believe that Julius Jones is completely innocent, despite the overwhelming amount of evidence against him." Howell's family has said they believe Jones was the one who carried out the 1999 murder. "It is clear that Julius' lawyer did not adequately defend him, and that explicit racial bias played a significant role in the process." "At the time of the crime for which he was convicted, Julius was a 19-year-old student athlete with a promising future, attending the University of Oklahoma on an academic scholarship," the petition says. ![]() "I need your help to save his life."Ī campaign called Justice for Julius has said that the case leading up to Jones' conviction was "riddled with odious racial discrimination" and that alleged racial slurs targeting Jones were used at the time of his arrest and during his trial. "When Julius Jones was 19-years-old, he was convicted of a murder he says he did not commit," Jones-Davis wrote in the petition summary. Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP A petition calling for clemency for Julius Jones, above, exceeded 6.5 million signatures just hours before his scheduled execution on Thursday in Oklahoma. ![]()
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