Judge calls for reevaluation in case of Michael Jordan's father
A judge from North Carolina, who presided over the 1996 trial concerning the murder of James Jordan, the father of renowned basketball player Michael Jordan, is advocating for the release of Daniel Green, the man convicted for the crime.
It should be recalled that in 1993, James Jordan was shot during a robbery while he was sleeping in his car. At 18, Green was convicted of the murder and has been serving a life sentence since then.
Green's case has resurfaced after Judge Gregory Weeks, who oversaw the 1996 trial, filed a petition with the parole board. The judge claims that a critical piece of evidence was not disclosed during the trial: an analysis of a substance that appeared to be blood, found in James Jordan's car, which later might have been determined not to be blood.
According to ABC, Weeks believes this fact could have substantially influenced the verdict in Green’s case. Green has long maintained that he did not kill James Jordan but merely assisted his friend, Larry Demery, in hiding the victim's body.
Demery, who was also convicted for involvement in the murder, testified in 1996 that it was Green who fired the fatal shot.
In a phone conversation with ABC News, Green expressed profound gratitude for Judge Weeks' efforts, calling it a "significant" decision that "speaks volumes" about his innocence.
Weeks himself admitted to the parole board that he "had never been haunted in such a manner as he was haunted by this case."
Will Jordan’s father’s killer be freed? Michael lived a nightmare
James Jordan died in 1993. His body was found 11 days after the murder in the swamps of South Carolina. The tragic death of his father deeply affected Michael Jordan, who shortly after the event announced a break in his NBA career to fulfill his father's dream of playing baseball.
