Who was Paul Howell?
PAUL Howell was murdered outside his parents' home in front of his family on July 28, 1999.
Then 19-year-old Julius Jones was arrested for his murder and sentenced to death in 2002, and ultimately his sentence was commuted just hours before his death on November 18, 2021.
Howell's sister described the shooter as "a black man wearing a stocking cap" with "half an inch of hair hanging out," his attorney Dale Baich told in December 2019.
Three suspects interviewed by Edmonton Police pinned Jones and a high school basketball teammate, Christopher Jordan, as the alleged carjacking murderers.
Despite a lack of evidence to directly connect Jones to Howell's killing, he was sentenced to death and 40 years in prison in 2002.
Jordan was the state's key witness against him, and advocates for Jones say his case has been tainted by racial discrimination.
"We have serious concerns by the way the evidence was collected, handled, and stored," Baich said, claiming that Jones was targeted by "self-proclaimed car thugs and a gang member".
Did Julius Jones murder Paul Howell?
Jones was convicted in 2002 but claims he is innocent.
Jones was a 19-year-old student at the University of Oklahoma when he was considered as the prime suspect in the killing of 45-year-old businessman Howell.
He was on the verge of gaining a basketball scholarship when he was arrested and charged with Howell's murder in August 1999, according to .
On October 27, 2021, Jones was granted a stay of execution.
However, the state attorney general’s office released a statement saying that it plans to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court.
The statement read: "We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will vacate the stay so that justice can finally be served for the people of Oklahoma, including the families of the victims of these horrific crimes."
"That is completely false. You can find it in the transcripts, if you do the research.
"They asked him multiple times if he is waiving his right to testify, and he's agreed, he did not want to testify."
Speaking about her dad, she said: "He was an innocent man, taking his kids to get ice cream with my aunt.
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"He was murdered in front of me and my sister and my aunt. Understand that we are the victims here.
"We have done nothing wrong, and it almost feels like we are doing something wrong by speaking out."