In the case of Julius Jones, politics and perception - as well as bias and outright bigotry - have won out over justice and the law. ![]() That attitude was embodied by overzealous District Attorney Bob Macy, many of whose historic 54 death row convictions were later determined to be tainted by prosecutorial misconduct, resulting in the courts reversing nearly half of his death sentences. The DNA evidence, so often highlighted by the attorney general as proof of guilt, is in fact inconclusive at best, and in some ways casts even more doubt on the prosecution’s case (if Julius wore the infamous red bandana donned by the killer, why wasn’t there any of his saliva on it, as one would normally expect?).īut maybe more important than all of this was the prevailing view in the late 1990s that young black males were a danger to suburban America. Julius’s co-defendant, who matches the eye-witness description of the triggerman, is now free after testifying against Julius (photos from the time of the murder show Julius’ hair was far too short to fit the description).Ī member of the predominantly white jury was recently determined to have said the trial was a waste of time and “they should just take that n***** out and shoot him behind the jail.” Julius’s first defense attorney died pre-trial and was replaced by a public defender who admits he failed to adequately represent Julius at trial. It is widely agreed that shoddy investigation, incompetent representation, testimony of witnesses who were incentivized to lie for their own self-preservation and racial bias in the courtroom prevented Mr. In 1999, Julius Jones was a promising athlete and student at the University of Oklahoma when he was arrested and sentenced to death for the murder of a white businessman. ![]() He submitted an application to the Parole Board to commute his sentence over a year ago. It will be up to the Board’s recommendation and ultimately, Gov. Julius has one more chance to have his death sentence commuted. Stitt about death row inmate Julius Jones, who many believe to be wrongfully convicted. ![]() It is because of this positive work to improve the justice system in Oklahoma that we hope we can open a dialogue with Gov. In Oklahoma, the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the recent decision of Governor Kevin Stitt to grant parole to many non-violent offenders from Oklahoma prisons have helped open our collective eyes and hearts to issues of justice in our state. In the wake of an historic election, in the midst of the social and economic challenges of a pandemic, the nation is coming to terms with systemic issues of race, poverty and justice.
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