One of two men sentenced to life in prison for killing James Jordan, the father of famed pro-athlete Michael Jordan, is seeking a new trial, The Fayetteville Observer reports.
42-year-old Daniel Andre Green is serving life in prison for murdering 57-year-old James Jordan in July of 1993. While Green denies having killed Jordan, he has admitted to helping Larry Martin Demery, 41, dispose of his body.
Demery, who became eligible for parole consideration last year, testified that Green shot Jordan.
Richmond County Superior Court Judge Michael Beale heard arguments regarding Green’s claims for a little more than an hour Wednesday. The judge, who was brought out of retirement to oversee the case, agreed to accept some witness statements as potential evidence when deciding if Green should get a hearing.
The hearing would determine if Green got a new trial. The statements include an affidavit from Paula Locklear. The jury foreperson signed a document that says during Green’s trial in 1996, she violated judge’s orders by visiting the South Carolina location where Jordan’s body was found.
“This visit influenced my interpretation of the evidence and played a role in my deliberations of the case,” Locklear’s affidavit says. “Specifically, based on my visit to the scene, I came to believe that Mr. Jordan had died in South Carolina at the location where his body was discovered.”
Prosecutors at the trial argued that Green and Demery killed Jordan in North Carolina in his car which was parked on U.S. 74 just outside of Lumberton, North Carolina. They also reportedly dumped his body in South Carolina.
In an effort to keep trials fair and just, jurors are not allowed to investigate cases they’ve been assigned to independently. They are required to only evaluate evidence that is presented to them in a court of law.
Lawyers representing Green say District Attorney Johnson Britt misled jurors by exaggerating—and even hiding—blood tests results and blood tests that were inconclusive.
While Beale rejected some of the material that Green’s lawyers want to present, he did set a 60-day deadline for both sides to file additional motions and other relevant materials for his to consider.
According to Beale, the next hearing date will likely take place in the summer.
