7/27/2023 0 Comments Justice for julius jones petitionThe governor's office has been contacted for comment. She urged supporters to visit the Justice for Julius Jones website for more information on the case and to take action by emailing Stitt or signing the petition. Justice for Julius is justice for Paul Scott Howell." "Every time I'm fighting for my brother, Julius Darius Jones, I'm also fighting for Paul Scott Howell to get the justice that his family needs. Julius Darius Jones (born July 25, 1980) is an American prisoner and former death row inmate from Oklahoma who was convicted of the July 1999 murder of Paul. "But Julius is an innocent Black man on death row, he did not commit the crime of murdering Mr. at the Wesley United Methodist Church of Oklahoma City, located at 1401 NW 25th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73106. On Thursday, Julius’ supporters will meet at 12 p.m. "I've not stopped praying for them since I was 13," she said. The petition was started in 2019 on by Oklahoma activist, faith leader and Julius Jones Coalition founder Cece Jones-Davis it now has over 6.2 million signatures. And the governor has the power to give him back."Īntoinette Jones also acknowledged the pain felt by Howell's family. "But what we do still have is Julius Jones, and we want Julius Jones back. Pointing to cases of police brutality and racial injustice, she added: "We can't bring Trayvon Martin back, we can't bring Mike Brown back, we can't bring any of those folks back. Julius Jones received an 11/18 execution date today, despite the parole board recommending a commuted sentence last week! He needs your help! Visit www. "I think this could be a bright, shining example of what is possible when the work of racial reconciliation is practically applied." "There is an opportunity for redemption here when it comes to issues of race relations in Oklahoma and across the country," she said. You cannot bring that life back," she said, pointing to case of Troy Davis, a likely innocent Black man executed in Georgia exactly 10 years ago on Tuesday.Īnd Jones-Davis argued that commuting the sentence of a Black man who has spent around half his life on death row presents an opportunity for racial reconciliation in Oklahoma, noting the fact the state commemorated the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre earlier this year. "At the end of the day, if you execute an innocent person, you can't bring that life back. But Jones and his supporters have argued that his trial attorneys failed to adequately defend him and that racial discrimination played a role in his trial and sentencing.Īntoinette Jones also said capital punishment should not be carried out when there are doubts about the guilt of some who have been put to death. Oklahoma prosecutors said the evidence against Jones is overwhelming. "So I have that evidence that helps me have faith in his ability to see what this has been, see what it is, just like his parole board did, and take the recommendation of his board." "He's had to make, in the past, some really courageous choices about a variety of issues. "This is a man who has have proven over and over again in the state of Oklahoma, that he stands on what he believes," she told Newsweek. His case has attracted widespread attention in recent years, thanks to a grassroots campaign, a documentary series that explored his innocence claim and celebrity advocates including Kim Kardashian West.Ĭece Jones-Davis, who directs the Justice for Julius Jones campaign, said she is also hopeful Stitt will step in and stop Jones' execution. Jones, 41, was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1999 killing of businessman Paul Howell, but he has always maintained his innocence and claims he was framed. "I thank you for being a great governor in the state of Oklahoma and saying that you wanted to hear from the people." Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP, File “We know how cruel the death penalty is…We want to live in a state that finds solutions rather than killing.Oklahoma has set an execution date for Julius Jones, even though a parole board recommended his sentence be commuted. “Around this time last year my family was enduring unimaginable emotions as Oklahoma tried to execute my brother Julius Jones,” Antoinette Jones told the press assembled. Jon Middendorf, Senior Pastor of the OKC First Church of the Nazarene. Don Heath, Chair of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and Rev. Delivering the petitions were Antoinette Jones, whose brother Julius Jones came within hours of execution less than a year ago, former Oklahoma State Senator Connie Johnson and Witness to Innocence Executive Director Herman Lindsey.įollowing the petition delivery, the three held a brief press conference in the capitol building's 2nd floor rotunda where they were joined by Adam Luck, former member of the Oklahoma Board of Pardons and Parole, Rev. Two petitions and a Catholic faith leader letter were delivered to a representative at the Governor’s office. OKLAHOMA CITY – This morning, on what is internationally recognized as “World Day Against the Death Penalty,” and during a month observed by Catholics as “Respect Life Month,” the call to stop executions in Oklahoma reached Governor Kevin Stitt’s office.
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