Death row inmate Julius Jones did not murder Paul Howell, was set up by Christopher Jordan, says third inmate
Julius Jones has been on death row in Oklahoma since 2002 after being convicted of a murder, which, new and compelling evidence claims, he never committed. Jones was convicted in the 1999 killing of Edmond businessman Paul Howell and given the death penalty. However, the state has faced scrutiny since Jones' conviction for relying on the testimony of Christopher Jordan, Jones' co-defendant, who told jurors he saw Jones shoot and kill Howell as he was also present at the scene of the murder. According to Black Star News, Jordan took a plea deal in exchange for his testimony and was released after serving 15 years in prison.
Jones, who has always maintained his innocence, was eating dinner at home during the time of the murder, his family has claimed. Also, Roderick Wesley, an inmate with the Arkansas Department of Corrections, signed a sworn affidavit earlier this week stating that Christopher Jordan had confessed to the murder as well as setting up Jones.
READ MORE
“One day while we were at work at the Commissary store, I was telling Jordan about the crimes I was convicted of committing, and Jordan spilled his guts and told me about his crime," Wesley wrote in the affidavit. "Jordan said to me, ‘my co-defendant is on death row behind a murder I committed.’ … When Jordan was telling me this, he was acting like he was sorry for what he had done, but he said that he was not going to jump out there and give himself up to the wolves."
Wesley spoke with Jones' legal team in a series of video-conference calls to provide more details about Jordan's confession. Black Star News confirmed that both Wesley and Jordan had served at the East Arkansas Regional Unit facility in 2010 and worked at the prison commissary. “If this man is wrongfully executed, by continuing to conceal this information, I feel as if I would have had a hand in putting this man to death and I can’t live with that on my conscience,” Wesley wrote in his letter.
That said, Wesley is the third person to claim that Jordan had confessed in prison to murdering Howell. Manuel Littlejohn, a former cellmate of Jordan, signed a sworn affidavit in 2004. “Jordan stated that he felt guilty because he was going to implicate his co-defendant, Julius Jones, in a murder case to avoid getting the death penalty," the affidavit read. "Jordan stated that he had wrapped the gun used to commit the murder in his case in a bandana and hidden it in Julius Jones’ house[.]... Regarding the murder case, Jordan stated to me, ‘Julius didn’t do it,’ and ‘Julius wasn’t there'."
Also in 2004, Oklahoma inmate Christopher Berry signed a sworn affidavit alleging that Jordan bragged "about how he was the actual person who shot the victim in his case. Mr Jordan also said that because he was the first person to talk to the police, he was getting a deal and would not get the death penalty.” It's worth noting that neither Wesley, Littlejohn, nor Berry were offered incentives in exchange for information on Jordan. Meanwhile, none of them know each other or have met Jones, according to the outlet.
Eyewitness testimony has also cast doubts on whether Jones could have been the shooter and whether Jordan matches the description better. An eyewitness had described the murderer as a man wearing a bandana with at least half-inch of hair hanging out. But photos of Jones taken at the time show him with a nearly shaved head. Meanwhile, Jordan's braids also matched the eyewitness account more closely.
Cece Jones-Davis, an activist who helped launch the “Justice for Julius” campaign in Oklahoma, is confident that the new evidence suggests the state has been holding an innocent man in custody for over two decades. “Julius Jones did not murder Paul Howell,” Jones-Davis told Black Star News. “At this point, it is clear who did. It is unthinkable to proceed with this execution knowing that the real killer is out there and has confessed, on multiple occasions, to his crime. “
An application has been filed with the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to commute Jones' sentence to time-served. The board is set to commence their initial review of the application in March. Should the board deny Jones' application, he will receive an execution date. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater has since written a letter to the Pardon and Parole Board objecting to Jones’ commutation, KFOR reported.
"Over the last few years, Julius Jones and his attorneys have engaged in a coordinated and alarmingly successful campaign of misinformation, spurred by media frenzy, which is specifically targeted to manipulate and mislead the public through dissemination of half-truths and, frequently, outright lies," Prater wrote in his letter, noting Jones had an “extensive criminal history” that included attempted shoplifting and carjacking counts.