Oklahoma parole board recommends clemency for death row inmate Julius Jones

Julius Jones.
(Image credit: Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP, File)

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-1 on Monday to recommend commuting the death sentence of Julius Jones to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Jones was 19 when he was convicted of the 1999 murder of businessman Paul Howell. Jones has always maintained his innocence, and his family said he was with them at home when the murder took place. He is set to be executed on Nov. 18, and in the petition for clemency, his attorneys said Jones was found guilty due to "fundamental breakdowns in the system," including an ineffective and inexperienced public defender and alleged prosecutorial misconduct, CNN reports. A juror also later came forward and shared he heard another juror refer to Jones as the n-word, the petition states, and several individuals have said Jones' co-defendant, Christopher Jordan, admitted he killed Howell.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.