Who is Daniel Green? Details of Michael Jordan’s father’s murder explored
In 1996, Daniel Green, a teenager born in Philadelphia who relocated to North Carolina in third grade, was put on trial for the murder of Michael Jordan's father, James Jordan. Green was 15 when James was killed in 1993 in what was believed to be a robbery gone wrong while sleeping in the passenger seat of his car.
The case against Green largely relied on the account of Larry Demery, a classmate Green became friends with shortly after moving to North Carolina. According to Green, the two were at a party at a friend's house in the summer of 1993 when Demery allegedly left to conduct a drug deal.
Hours later, Demery returned, reportedly asking Green to help him dispose of a body. As he explained, the drug deal went wrong and he had fatally shot a man, who turned out to be James Jordan. Green admitted that he then helped his friend and classmate dump Jordan's body in South Carolina.
Despite that, Larry Demery offered a different account, alleging that the two found Jordan sleeping in his car and Daniel Green shot him. Ultimately, at the end of the trial, Green was sentenced to life in prison. Since then, he has remained at Southern Correctional Institution in North Carolina.
Demery is also serving life in prison.
Judge presiding over Daniel Green's case calls for him to be released on parole
While Daniel Green has been in prison for nearly three decades, Judge Gregory Weeks, who presided over the case, now wants him to be released on parole. This week, the judge argued to the state's parole commission that key findings were never presented in court.
The forensic investigator who testified in court said at the time:
“It is my opinion that you do have blood [in the vehicle]."
Within the context of the case, this backed up Larry Demery's story that he and Daniel Green found James Jordan sleeping in a car, and Green fatally shot him. However, according to the judge, another test allegedly came back inconclusive for whether or not there was blood found in the car.
According to ABC 7, the judge explained to the parole board that for almost 30 years now the situation has "haunted him." Because of that, he now wants Green to be paroled.
Green released a statement on the development via ABC News, saying:
"[The judge who] presided over my trial asked that I be paroled is significant. It speaks volumes about this case, and I'm overwhelmingly grateful."
The state's parole board is expected to spend "at least one month" deliberating the situation before deciding whether or not to honor the judge's request.