The story of one of the most notorious murders in the United States, that of Michael Jordan’s father, has gone on for almost three decades. In 1996, a North Carolina court found Daniel Green guilty of this crime and sentenced him to life in prison. Greene has become a symbol of a brutal justice system that seems to care more about statistics than the truth.
In 1993, James Jordan Sr. was murdered during a robbery in North Carolina. Larry Demery and Daniel Green were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. This tragedy had a significant impact on Michael Jordan’s career.
It is difficult to imagine that after so many years, Judge Gregory Weeks himself, who presided over the trial, decided to request the early release of the convicted man. But here it is: a reality that can surprise even the darkest corners of justice. Weeks’ main argument sounds like a challenge to the American judicial system: key evidence that could completely change the outcome of the case was withheld during the investigation. It is possible that the same “blood trail” on the car where James Jordan was killed did not belong to him at all.
In 1996, the prosecution based its case on the fact that Green and his friend Larry Demery robbed and killed Jordan Sr. However, new details are now emerging: the testimony of Demery, the prosecution’s main witness, may be questioned . It turns out that he put all the blame on his friend and only helped him get rid of the body, but he didn’t consider himself a murderer. This did not sound loud enough in court and someone decided it was enough to impose a life sentence on him.
Larry Demery became the prosecution’s main witness. As part of a deal with prosecutors, he agreed to testify against Daniel Green. In exchange, Demery avoided the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. His testimony was instrumental in Green’s conviction.
It seems that Judge Weeks can no longer sleep peacefully. For almost 30 years he has lived with the idea that he was part of a big mistake. “This situation still torments me,” the judge admitted. Perhaps you would like to forget this case as if it were a bad day, but the truth torments you. What does it feel like to sign a decision that you will not get rid of for the rest of your life? These thoughts probably come to Gregory Weeks every morning.
Green, now 49 and serving time in prison, was naturally delighted by the news. He called Weeks’ call for early release “a milestone.” For a person who spent a significant portion of his life behind bars, those words mean a lot. However, like many things in the judicial system, even these steps appear delayed: the commission that will decide Green’s fate intends to deliberate for at least a month.
Michael Jordan after the NBA Playoff Finals – 1993
Photo: John W. McDonough/Getty Images
Justice is not a fast moving force. Everything in this case plays out like a long-running soap opera, with dramatic twists hidden behind legal language and bureaucratic obstacles. Weeks may have realized the mistake he made in the ’90s, but can he fix it now? Green can only hope that his “second chance” does not disappear behind the horizon of bureaucracy.
The question that no one prefers to give a direct answer to is: should the justice system dispose of human lives so easily? Even if we talk about the American system and not the Russian one. In the end, behind everything are ordinary people. If key evidence was hidden and even the judge himself admits errors, then where is the guarantee that Green is the only one who has been caught in the tentacles of this system?
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