An upcoming documentary is questioning the guilty verdict against a man who was convicted in the murder of James Jordan, the father of NBA legend Michael Jordan. Defendant Daniel Green, who is serving a life sentence, maintained that he was not the gunman and only helped co-defendant Larry Demery get rid of the body.
“This is the first time that in many ways, audiences will be able to see the complete story surrounding this murder,” producer Matthew Perniciaro told Good Morning America on Tuesday.
The Moment of Truth is set to premiere Friday on IMDb TV. The five-part show will take a look at crime scene photos, audio tapes of the trial, and interviews, according to ABC.
James Jordan was shot and killed on July 23, 1993 after going to a friend’s funeral in Wilmington, North Carolina, according to The Washington Post. He stopped for a nap in his car when he was attacked. His dead body was found in a swamp in McColl, South Carolina; his car was discovered near Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Demery testified against Green as part of a guilty plea. He said they went up to the victim’s car, but did not know the man was the father of the world’s most famous basketball player. According to this story, Green opened fire, later checked items in the vehicle including credits cards, and discovered the truth.
“He made the statement to me, he said, ‘Damn, we killed Michael Jordan’s daddy,'” said Demery, who is set to be released on parole in 2023.
Former Robeson County District Attorney Johnson Britt, the prosecutor in the case, laid out the state’s stance in a WPDE report from 2020.
“We never alleged that [Demery] was the trigger man,” he said. “He was a participant in the robbery. And as a result of being a participant in the robbery where Mr. Jordan was killed. Then that involves the felony murder rule that was how he was charged with the murder. That’s how he eventually pled guilty to. All of the evidence in the case pointed to Daniel Green as being the major participant. The gun that we believe killed Mr. Jordan was found in Daniel Green’s home. Daniel Green was the one who took possession of everything that was stolen from Mr. Jordan. And he was the one who was in control of the car trying to dispose of the car.”
But Green says he’s “innocent of murder,” and his lawyers have claimed that there is new evidence that tends to favor the defense. The three claims, as recently spelled out in a FOX 46 Charlotte report:
Improperly admitted blood evidence at trial;
A phone call between James Jordan and a drug dealer that was never revealed to the defense;
Possibly corrupted evidence of a bullet hole on Mr. Jordan’s shirt.
Green’s lawyer Christine Mumma wrote in a March 6, 2019 affidavit that Demery admitted he lied at Green’s trial and blamed law enforcement for pressuring him to lie.
[Screengrab via ABC News]
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