As new information comes to light, the judge who oversaw the murder trial of Michael Jordan’s father has asked that one of the killers who was found guilty be set free.
James Jordan, Jordan’s father, was shot and killed in his Lexus on the side of Highway 74 in North Carolina on July 23, 1993, during a failed robbery.
In a swamp 60 miles away from where he was shot, 11 days later, his decaying body was found hanging from a tree branch. James was wearing an NBA Championship watch and an All-Star ring when he was killed. His son had given him both of them as gifts.
After the murder trial, Daniel Green, who was 18 at the time, and Larry Demery were both found guilty of first-degree murder and given life sentences in 1996. On Tuesday, though, retired Judge Gregory Weeks asked that Green be freed.
Green said he helped his old friend get rid of the body in a swamp, but he says he wasn’t there when Jordan Sr. was killed and was at a party instead. He says that Green decided to help cover up the crime after Demery begged for his help after admitting that he had shot a man.
“This man’s death had nothing to do with me, end of story.” I had nothing to do with the killings. Green said, “I came in after he was already dead.” The Chicago Tribune says that being an accessory to murder could get you up to 10 years in jail. Green, on the other hand, got a life sentence, which he is still serving.
However, Weeks has now asked North Carolina’s parole board to free Green, saying that a forensic blood analyst failed to say whether the blood tests done in the car were negative or not conclusive.
When Green called ABC News from prison, he said, “The fact that the judge who oversaw my trial asked that I be paroled is significant.” “That really says a lot about this case, and I’m very thankful.”
The Daily Mail reported that the Chicago Tribune said the jury did not have enough proof to say for sure that Green fired the gun. In 2019, a judge turned down Green’s request for a new hearing, which hurt his fight to clear his name. He is now 49 years old. Demery, 46, was supposed to be released on parole in August, but the deal was “terminated” in 2021.
Reports say that the commission will likely think about whether to give Green parole for at least one month. Weeks has refused to say anything because he wants to wait for the panel to decide.
Weeks and criminal justice supporters like Rev. Thomas Jones worked to get Green released. Jones said it made him cry when he heard Weeks talk about Green. “I was crying when I heard the judge speak for him.” “That shocked me,” he said.