Jones did not receive honors from the University of Oklahoma while he was a student there, though he was an honor student while at John Marshall High School and received an academic scholarship to attend OU. Source: Some media reports say Jones was an honor student on a scholarship at OU when he was arrested. But the high court declined to hear Jones’ appeal without comment.Ĭlaim: Jones was an honor student at the University of Oklahoma at the time of the murder. Supreme Court, arguing they showed the juror harbored racial animus toward Jones. Jones’ attorneys presented the screenshots to the U.S. “During the trial, I was the juror who went to the judge with the comment from another juror about how it was all a waste of time and ‘they should just take the n***** out and shoot him behind the jail’ although that juror was never removed and nothing further came from it,” according to screenshots of a conversation between the juror and Jones’ attorney.
#Julius jones charges trial
In 2018, Jones’ attorneys made contact with a juror from his 2002 trial who said she informed the judge that another juror had used the n-word. Source: Jones’ attorneys have made this claim in court. This let him avoid the possibility of a life sentence, which would have precluded him from leaving prison had his death sentence ever been overturned.Ĭlaim: A juror claimed another juror used the n-word to refer to Jones during his trial. Jones pleaded guilty in exchange for a 12-year prison sentence, Bass said. Amanda Bass, who represented Jones in his death row case, told The Frontier that fingerprint analysis excluded Jones as a suspect in the carjacking. The case moved slowly through the courts and Jones eventually pleaded guilty to the crime in 2006. The man was not physically injured in the encounter. Oklahoma City Police alleged Jones pointed a gun at a man in a new Mercedes and demanded the keys to the vehicle. Jones’ attorneys say it is misleading to characterize Jones as having a violent history since he was never convicted of a violent crime prior to his arrest for the murder of Paul Howell.īut prosecutors charged Jones with robbery with a firearm in September 1999 (after he had been charged with Howell’s murder) for a carjacking he had allegedly committed prior to Howell’s slaying outside an Oklahoma City pizza restaurant. Prosecutors presented evidence at Jones’ trial they said showed he had a violent past.Ĭourt records show Jones had been charged with multiple crimes prior to his arrest for murder, including theft and selling stolen property to a pawn shop. “Evidence presented at trial showed on at least three occasions Jones had stolen property by force at gunpoint, among many other crimes.” “He had a history of armed robbery, numerous carjackings, and assault,” Hunter wrote in a 2020 column for The Frontier. Source: Prosecutors, including former Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, have repeatedly made this claim. The Frontier fact-checked some claims about Jones’ case using court documents and other records, as well as information provided by Jones’ attorneys and the Howell family.Ĭlaim: Jones had a history of prior violent criminal offenses before the murder of Paul Howell. Some of the public debate has centered around things like Jones’ college academic record and reports of alleged gang activity, although neither is proof of guilt or innocence. Many facts of the case are complex and nuanced and others remain unknown. Myths and misconceptions have persisted as Jones’ case continues to draw intense media scrutiny and a groundswell of support from activists and celebrities.
Stitt’s executive order prohibits Jones from seeking further clemency, pardon, or parole, but some observers have said that a future governor could reverse the order or Jones could seek relief in court. Questions persist about Jones’ guilt or innocence in the 1999 murder of Edmond businessman Paul Howell and whether he received a fair trial. Kevin Stitt commuted his death sentence to life without parole. Supporters of Julius Jones say they will continue to fight to exonerate him even after Gov.
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