PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "
Jones is also receiving support from an unexpected source. Connie Ellison, the girlfriend of the man Jones is accused of killing, has publicly expressed her doubts that Jones is guilty. In an exclusive Op-Ed sent to The Black Wall Street Times, Ellison said “I know, without doubt, that Paul would not want an innocent man to be executed for his murder. And neither do I.”
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STORY: "Gov Stitt denies Julius Jones's commutation, waits for Oct. clemency hearing," by Reporter Nate Morris, published by The Black Wall Street Times on September 28m 2021.
GIST: "After more than two weeks of silence following the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board’s recommendation to commute Julius Jones’ sentence, Gov Stitt has announced he will deny the request. In a statement Tuesday night, the Governor said he would instead wait for a ruling following Jones’ clemency hearing. That hearing will take on place or before October 28th.
The statement from the Governor’s office read in part:
“I am not accepting the Pardon and Parole Board’s recommendation to commute the sentence of Julius Jones because a clemency hearing, not a commutation hearing, is the appropriate venue for our state to consider death row cases.”
The governor went on to say he believed clemency hearings are more “intensive and thorough” than commutation hearings.
Jones’ commutation hearing, however, was nothing but intensive and thorough. Jones’ defense attorney had to prove to an independent panel that a sentencing ruling in a case made decades ago was wrong.
The September 13th meeting lasted three hours and included testimony from prosecutors, defense attorneys and family members of the deceased.
Now, Julius Jones and his friends and family members must endure another agonizing month without answers.
Calls for justice for Julius Jones grow louder by the day
As organizers continue to push for justice, support for Julius Julius’ commutation has grown significantly. A poll released at the end of August showed that 60% of Oklahomans support commutation.
Julius’s case has also captured nationwide attention.
Last November, Kim Kardashian visited Julius Jones on death row to help raise awareness his case. Earlier this month, Late night host James Carden urged viewers to call Governor Stitt’s and ask him to commute Julius’s sentence. And currently, an online petition demanding Justice for Julius has more than 6.3 million signatures.
Jones is also receiving support from an unexpected source. Connie Ellison, the girlfriend of the man Jones is accused of killing, has publicly expressed her doubts that Jones is guilty. In an exclusive Op-Ed sent to The Black Wall Street Times, Ellison said “I know, without doubt, that Paul would not want an innocent man to be executed for his murder. And neither do I.”
The entire story can be read at:
https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2021/09/28/gov-stitt-denies-julius-joness-commutation-waits-for-oct-clemency-hearing/PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog; -----------------------------------------------------------------
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they’ve exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL, FINAL WORD: “It is incredibly easy to convict an innocent person, but it's exceedingly difficult to undo such a devastating injustice.
Jennifer Givens: DirectorL UVA Innocence Project.
