Justice for Julius

Below is an op-ed written by Julius Jones’ attorneys, published by The Oklahoman on Sunday, October 27, 2019:

Point of View: Facts support clemency for Oklahoma death row inmate

BY DALE A. BAICH AND AMANDA C. BASS

Regarding “Facts temper leniency calls” (Our Views, Oct. 23):

Julius Jones didn’t match the description of the assailant that the only eyewitness to the crime provided to police. She described the assailant as having half-an-inch of hair sticking out from his cap. At the time, Jones’ hair was much shorter than half-an-inch and closely cropped — a fact documented by a photograph never shown to his jury.

His family members were prepared to testify that he was at home during the crime’s commission. However, neither they nor any other witness were called in Jones’ defense at trial.

The prosecution told jurors that the co-defendant would serve 30 years of a life sentence but, inexplicably, he was released after serving just 15 years.

The two main witnesses against Jones were confidential informants for the police and received deals on unrelated charges.

The Oklahoman claims that DNA results from testing of a red bandanna incriminate Jones. If The Oklahoman reviewed the DNA report supporting Jones’ clemency petition, its readers would know that the DNA results on the bandanna include degraded DNA from three or more people. It also would know that it’s not accurate to describe the DNA as a “match” to Jones since that simple conclusion isn’t supported by the limited test results. Finally, the editorial board would know that the limited test results provide no information about how DNA was deposited onto the bandanna which could have been transferred during the police handling of items in Jones’ bedroom.

The editorial claims that a white T-shirt taken from Jones’ bedroom illustrates his guilt. But no blood or biological fluid was detected on that shirt, which one would expect to find given the shooter’s close proximity to the victim.

Finally, the editorial dismisses outright the racism that tainted the fairness of Jones’ trial, ignoring a juror’s sworn affidavit about the racism she personally witnessed among those who decided Jones’ guilt and sentenced him to die. A 2017 report by the Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission also illustrates that black individuals in Oklahoma who are accused of killing white victims are two to three times more likely to be sentenced to death than are white individuals accused of the same crime.

All that’s left for Jones despite these disturbing facts is clemency, which allows the executive branch to commute excessive sentences and show mercy. Jones is asking the Pardon and Parole Board and Gov. Kevin Stitt to do what the courts have been unable to do because of procedural technicalities — to take a close and careful look at his case and to correct what amounts to a wrongful conviction

######################################