<body><div>The judge who presided over the murder trial of Michael Jordan’s father has called for one of the convicted killers to be released after new evidence has come to light.Jordan’s father, James Jordan, was shot and killed in the seat of his Lexus during a botched robbery along the side of Highway 74 in North Carolina on July 23, 1993. His decayed body was found hanging over the limb of a tree in a swamp 60 miles away from where the shooting took place 11 days later. James was wearing an NBA Championship watch and an All-Star ring at the time of his killing - both gifts from his son.Following the murder trial, Daniel Green then-18, was convicted of first-degree murder alongside Larry Demery and sentenced to life in prison in 1996. However, retired Judge Gregory Weeks called for the release of Green on Tuesday.Green admitted to helping his childhood friend dispose of the body in a swamp but denies killing Jordan Snr., and claims he was at a party when the murder occurred. He says Demery pleaded for his help after admitting to shooting a man, and rather than abandon Demery, Green agreed to help cover up the crime.“I had nothing to do with this man losing his life, period. I wasn't connected to the murder. I came in after he was already dead,” Green insisted. According to the Chicago Tribune, accessory to murder carried a maximum of 10 years in prison, while Green was handed a life sentence he still currently serves.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0emQkT_0wEmpRlF00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0emQkT_0wEmpRlF00" width="1200" height="675" ><figcaption>The judge presiding the trial have called for the release of Daniel Green ( Image: IMDb TV/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)</figcaption></figure>However, Weeks has now petitioned North Carolina’s parole commission for the release of Green, claiming that a forensic blood analyst did not disclose whether the blood tests carried out inside the car came back negative or inconclusive.“The fact that the judge who presided over my trial asked that I be paroled is significant,” Green told ABC News in a phone interview from the prison. “It speaks volumes about this case, and I’m overwhelmingly grateful.”According to the Chicago Tribune, as reported by the Daily Mail, the jurors of the case did not find beyond reasonable doubt that Green pulled the trigger. Green, now 49, continues his fight to clear his name which was hit back in 2019 when a judge denied him a new trial. Meanwhile, Demery, 46, was due to be paroled in August, but the agreement was ‘terminated’ back in 2021.It’s reported that the commission is expected to deliberate for at least one month on whether to grant Green parole. Weeks has declined to comment, saying he will wait for the commission to make its decision. Weeks and criminal justice advocates, including Rev. Thomas Jones, pushed for Green’s release. Jones revealed he became emotional upon hearing Weeks speak about Green. “When I heard the judge speak on his behalf, I was weeping. I was flabbergasted,” he said.</div></body>

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Michael Jordan's father's murder back in spotlight after emergence of new evidence

The judge who presided over the murder trial of Michael Jordan’s father has called for one of the convicted killers to be released after new evidence has come to light. Jordan’s father, James Jordan, was shot and killed in the seat of his Lexus during a botched robbery along the side of Highway 74 in North Carolina on July 23, 1993. His decayed body was found hanging over the limb of a tree in a swamp 60 miles away from where the shooting took place 11 days later. James was wearing an NBA Championship watch and an All-Star ring at the time of his killing - both gifts from his son.