" 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. Jones has now exhausted every appeal and is eligible for an execution date, which could be as soon as this fall. In October 2019, Jones filed his clemency report, asking for his sentence to be commuted to time served. "I have spent the past 20 years on death row for a crime I did not commit, did not witness and was not at." "As God is my witness, I was not involved in any way in the crimes that led to Howell being shot and killed," Jones said in his clemency report.
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. NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento KingsĮditor's note: This story was originally published on June 17, 2020. Why Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook and other NBA stars fought to save Julius Jones
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