Months later, Julius Jones said he’s still angry, but hopes to walk out of prison one day. Kevin Stitt granted him last-minute mercy. "We need Julius Jones to be held responsible.He was four hours from death by lethal injection when Gov. And he still feels no shame, guilt or remorse for his action," Tobey said.
"He is the same person today as he was 22 years ago. Paul Howell's sister, Megan Tobey, testified before the board on Monday that she distinctly remembers seeing Jones shoot her brother in front of his two young daughters. "It also failed Julius by condemning him to death for something he did not do." "In these ways and more, the criminal justice system failed Mr.
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Jones said in his commutation filing that the gun and bandanna were planted there by the actual killer.īut Jones' attorney, Amanda Bass, said his criminal trial was corrupted by the use of junk forensic science, jailhouse informants and a plea deal for the co-defendant who testified against him.
Investigators also found the murder weapon and a bandanna with Jones’ DNA in an attic space above his bedroom. Trial transcripts show that witnesses identified Jones as the shooter and placed him with Howell’s stolen vehicle. But Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and the state’s former attorney general, Mike Hunter, have said the evidence against Jones is overwhelming. Jones alleges he was framed by the actual killer, a high-school friend and former co-defendant who was a key prosecution witness. Since then, reality television star Kim Kardashian West and athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, have urged Stitt to commute Jones’ death sentence and spare his life. Jones’ case drew widespread attention after it was profiled in "The Last Defense," a three-episode documentary produced by actress Viola Davis that aired on ABC in 2018.
She also said Jones has had so much money deposited into his inmate account in the last couple of years that he has sent $18,000 to family and friends. "Jones repeatedly and unequivocally told his attorneys that his parents were mistaken and that he was not at home the night of the murder," said Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Crabb.Ĭrabb said Jones is a recognized member of the Bloods gang and that he has continued to commit criminal acts while inside prison, including possessing contraband and using other inmate's pin numbers to make telephone calls. Jones also testified that he was at home with his parents and siblings on the evening when Howell was killed, but prosecutors said Jones himself previously told his trial lawyers that wasn't true. "Yes, I made mistakes in my youth, but I did not kill Mr. He also denied committing a separate carjacking to which he pleaded guilty, saying he made the plea on the advice of his attorney. He admitted to the board on Monday that he began shoplifting clothes, jewelry and electronics, but denied that he ever committed any violent acts. Jones was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to die in the 1999 shooting death of Paul Howell during a carjacking in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond. The state resumed lethal injections last week after a six-year hiatus, putting a man to death for the 1998 stabbing death of a prison cafeteria worker. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has set a Nov. "Our office will not offer further comment until the governor has made a final decision."
"Governor Stitt is aware of the Pardon and Parole Board's vote today," Stitt spokeswoman Carly Atchison said in a statement. Stitt must now decide whether to grant clemency or commute Jones’ sentence. Julius Jones is picturing in a photo dated Feb.
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