Ron Jenkins / Associated Press
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott wrote a letter Thursday to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and members of the state’s Pardons and Parole Board, asking for a conviction to be commuted death received by Julius Jones linked to the murder of Paul Howell in 1999.
Jones maintained his innocence throughout the case, which was analyzed in the ABC documentary series The last defense in 2018, and a Change.org petition calling for his release citing “explicit racial bias” received more than 6 million signatures.
Sean Gregory from Time obtained a copy of Prescott’s letter pleading for Jones:
“Having reviewed the facts of the Julius Jones case, I firmly believe that the wrong person is being punished for this terrible crime. Further, an assessment of the process that led to Mr. Jones’ conviction raises serious legal issues and ethical. I beg you to right this error. Please do not let another innocent black man die from the systemic mistreatment that has plagued our nation for too long. “
A website began to highlight Jones’ story, Justice For Julius, includes a copy of his pardon petition filed in October 2019.
“But, as God is my witness, I was not in any way involved in the crimes which led to Paul Howell’s shooting on July 28, 1999,” Jones wrote. “I have spent the last 20 years in the death row for a crime that I did not commit, that I did not witness and that I was not. I feel bad for Mr. . Howell and his family, but I wasn’t responsible. “
Jones also alleged that Chris Jordan, a co-defendant who agreed to a plea deal and then testified against Jones, told two people before the case that he was ready to set him up:
“Before my trial, Chris admitted to two people that I was not involved in the murder. In late August or early September 1999, Chris told a man named Manuel Littlejohn that “Julius didn’t do it” and “Julius didn’t do it”. You’re here. Chris admitted to Manuel that he tried to surround me by wrapping the weapon used in committing the crime in a bandana and hiding it in my house. Chris also told Manuel about his secret deal with prosecutors, telling him, “ I’ll do it. 15 years old and go home. This is exactly what happened. Even though I told my attorney about Chris’s confession, he never asked Chris about it and he never called Manuel to testify at my trial. “
In his letter, Prescott cited his own familiarity with racial injustice, saying: “As a black man in this country right now, I am suffering firsthand injustices day in and day out, even as an athlete. with ‘celebrity status’ “and urged Stitt and the Commission to overturn a” miscarriage of justice “:
“I firmly believe that the conviction and death sentence against Julius Jones is gross injustice. Mr Jones has been on death row for 20 years, despite written affidavits from his trial attorneys describing the ways they let him down in court. Mr Jones Lawyers never presented the photo taken nine days before the crime which could have clarified the description of the shooter. They were appointed with no experience in death penalty cases and did not even present Mr Jones’ alibi at trial. Additionally, a member of the jury (consisting of 11 out of 12 white members) confirmed that the jury acted with racial animosity – admitting that inappropriate and biased statements were made by other jurors during the trial, including the use of racial slurs.
“Julius Jones’ treatment is the kind of miscarriage of justice that African American men like me fear, and that’s why I feel compelled to use the influence God has blessed me to talk about. which I believe to be right and to give voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. The Julius Jones case is a clear example of what can happen to a person who cannot afford legal representation, and what can happen to a black person at any time in this country – this which is exactly why so many people are protesting for the changes we so desperately need. … My prayer is that he will be able to save what is left of his life and that, by righting a decades-old wrong, he will be restored to his family soon. “
In June, Prescott donated $ 1 million to fight systemic racism and improve police training across the United States.
According to Gregory, other athletes with ties to the state also wrote letters of support for Jones, including Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets, as well as Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings. . and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who all played in Oklahoma through college.
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