*When Julius Jones was 19-years-old he was convicted of a murder he says he did not commit.
As previously shared in a petition by Rev. Cece Jones-Davis (Julius Jones Coalition), Jones, 41, is a Black man on death row in Oklahoma for almost 20 years. He is held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. He is allowed one hour of sunlight a day, and three showers a week. Every minute we wait to take action, Julius is suffering. Every second that goes by brings Julius closer to being executed for a crime he didn’t commit.
Jones is scheduled to be executed on Nov. 18, despite the state’s parole board recommending that his sentence be commuted.
Yahoo writes, “Jones’ legal team is now awaiting the decision of Gov. Kevin Stitt after the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole board made their recommendation on Sept. 13. (In a 3-1 vote, the board ruled that Jones’ death sentence should be commuted to life in prison.)”
“Personally, I believe in death penalty cases there should be no doubts. And put simply, I have doubts about this case,” Board Chairman Adam Luck said at the hearing.
“We urge Governor Stitt to review the application in a timely manner and bring long-averted justice to this very tragic situation by accepting the recommendation of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board,” Rev. Cece Jones-Davis, a leader with the “Justice for Julius” movement said in a Sept. 20 statement.
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Jones was 19 years old when he was arrested for the 1999 murder of Oklahoma businessman Paul Howell, and sentenced to death in 2002.
Per the petition: It is clear that Julius’ lawyer did not adequately defend him, and that explicit racial bias played a significant role in the process… For example:
- Eyewitnesses place Mr. Jones at his parents’ home at the time of the murder, miles away from the crime scene.
- Mr. Jones’ co-defendant admitted to being involved in the crime and is now free after testifying against Julius. He was heard bragging that he “set Julius up.” Mr. Jones’ co-defendant matches the only eyewitness description of the shooter based on the length of his hair.
- Newly-discovered evidence shows that at least one juror harbored racial prejudice that influenced his vote to convict and sentence Mr. Jones to death. One juror reported telling the judge about another juror who said the trial was a waste of time and “they should just take the n***** out and shoot him behind the jail.”
Jones was found guilty by a jury comprised of 11 white people and one Black person. He has always maintained his innocence.
“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. “I have spent the past 20 years on death row for a crime I did not commit, did not witness and was not at. I feel terrible for Mr. Howell and his family but I was not responsible.”
Howell’s family is “devastated” by the parole board’s decision.
“The truth is that 12 jurors found Julius Jones guilty of murdering Paul Howell,” a Sept. 13 statement released by the family reads, “and that courts have reviewed that conviction for the last 18 years.”
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