Around 9:30 p.m., Howell, his adult sister and his daughters pulled into his parents’ driveway in his 1997 Suburban, according to court documents. Howell was killed in a carjacking the night of July 28, 1999. I hope and pray they find healing and peace,” Davis-Jones said. “I know what it is like to have a loved one ripped away from you and to constantly relive that loss. “Overall, this has been extremely tough on our family,” she said, “as we have continued to be re-victimized by Julius Jones when we have done absolutely nothing wrong.”ĭavis-Jones said Monday she will keep the Howell family in her prayers. In a statement to CNN, Rachel Howell said Jones, his family and defense team “want people to believe that Julius Jones is completely innocent, despite the overwhelming amount of evidence against him.” Both have rejected the evidence put forth by Jones and his attorneys, with the previous attorney general referring to it as “misinformation.” The groundswell of sympathy for Jones, however, has been painful for Howell’s family, which - along with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office - have pointed out Jones’ sentence has been repeatedly upheld on appeal. Support for Jones is ‘extremely tough’ on victim’s family, daughter says “I am not accepting the Pardon and Parole Board’s recommendation to commute the sentence of Julius Jones,” Stitt wrote, “because a clemency hearing, not a commutation hearing, is the appropriate venue for our state to consider death row cases.” Ultimately, the decision for clemency lies with the governor, who said in a letter to the parole board last month he would not make a decision based on their recommendation Jones’ sentence be commuted, saying instead a clemency hearing would be the “appropriate venue” for his case to be considered. ![]() ![]() But a week later, an execution date was set by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, prompting the clemency hearing. Monday’s hearing took place before the same parole board that recommended in September Jones’ sentence be commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole. “I think it has meant the absolute world, that people have come together and that that numbers of supporters are fighting for Julius.” “I don’t know where we would be,” she said. But she believes the broad support today has made a difference. Before “The Last Defense,” she said there weren’t many people aware of Jones’ case. That was echoed by Cece Jones-Davis, the director of the Justice for Julius campaign, which aims to raise awareness of Jones’ case and lobby for clemency. “I appreciate that we have the help now,” she said, “because we didn’t have that 22 years ago.” It means that we can kind of breathe a little bit easier, knowing that other people are willing to fight alongside us. “It means the world to me,” Jones’ younger sister, Antoinette Jones, told CNN in an interview. The support goes beyond his family and celebrities: More than 6.4 million people have signed a petition asking Stitt, a Republican, to prevent his execution. Jones’ case has attracted widespread attention in recent years, in part due to the ABC documentary series “The Last Defense,” which spotlighted his case in 2018. All rights reserved.CNN has reached out to Howell for reaction to the board’s recommendation. ™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. If the latter, Jones’ sentence will be commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole. It is now up to Stitt whether Jones is put to death or gets clemency. They have found no claim which necessitated the granting of relief.” “The courts have heard multiple appeals in multiple forms and at multiple levels from Julius Jones. “For the past twenty-one years, both the state and federal judicial system have been involved in scrutinizing this case,” the website says. Because Jones’ case has received so much publicity and support, the family has set up its own Justice for Paul Howell website. Relatives of the victim, Paul Howell, however, remain convinced of Jones’ guilt. Julius Jones,” wrote Stavros Lambrinidis, the EU Ambassador to the US. “We respectfully urge you to exercise all powers vested in your office to grant clemency to Mr. Support for Jones has also gone international, with representatives from the European Union writing letters to the Oklahoma governor. Share #JuliusJones story and tweet at to ask him to release this innocent man,” Washington tweeted. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian - who has long advocated against Jones’ death sentence - actors Kerry Washington and Mandy Patinkin, professional athletes including Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and others, have been using their voice in calling for the governor to spare Jones. ![]() Celebrities have also joined in the effort in urging Gov. The case has garnered much attention, in part due to the 2018 ABC documentary series “ The Last Defense,” which spotlighted it.
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