OK-CADP and supporters of Oklahoma death row inmate Julius Darius Jones will hold a Free Julius Jones rally on Tues., July 31 at 6:30 p.m., on the South Plaza of the Oklahoma State Capitol. They believe that Jones has been wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit.

Speakers will include members of Julius Jones family; Federal Public Defender Dale Baich; Oklahoma death row exoneree Paris Powell; Jimmy Lawson – longtime friend of Julius Jones; Rev. Don Heath, OK-CADP chair; and Anthony R. Douglas, President, Oklahoma State NAACP Chapter & Member of NAACP National Board of Directors.

Julius, an African American resident of Oklahoma City, was arrested in July 1999 and charged with the murder of Paul Howell, a white Edmond businessman, who was shot to death after pulling into the driveway of his parents’ home in Edmond. At the time of his arrest, Julius was a 19-year-old honor student on scholarship at the University of Oklahoma.

Support for Jones has grown after ABC this month aired three episodes of the documentary series, “The Last Defense,” which raised questions about the arrest and conviction of Jones. The executive producer of the documentary series is Viola Davis, an Academy Award winning actress.

Jones’ attorneys, Federal Public Defenders Dale Baich and Amanda Bass, featured in the documentary, believe Jones was wrongfully convicted and now have new evidence that they hope will cause the State to grant Jones a new trial.

“The Last Defense explores police and prosecutorial misconduct in the Jones’ case, racism in the criminal justice system, as well as during Julius’s criminal proceedings,” Baich said.

Jones has consistently maintained his innocence.

“Basically, the motive of this rally is to continue the momentum of the exposure of the ABC documentary The Last Defense, and to get Julius a new trial and ultimately exonerated,” said rally organizer Jimmy Lawson, and longtime close friend to Julius.

Rev. Don Heath, OK-CADP chair, said, “The Last Defense has finally allowed Julius to tell his story and present it to a broad audience, and it is very disturbing. Julius admits that he is not a saint, but he insists that he is not a murderer. He was convicted largely on the testimony of three informants, who were rewarded by having their jail time reduced and their charges dismissed.”

The City Sentinel recently broke the news that the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (OCCA) has decided to take a fresh look at some questions raised by Jones’ attorneys earlier this year of racial bias on the Oklahoma County jury that convicted Jones of murder in 1999. The judges also concluded (Case #PCD-2017-1313) they could not ignore court mismanagement of exhibits earlier this year.

T-shirts featuring original artwork by Julius Jones will be available for purchase during the rally.

Learn more at the Free Julius Jones Rally event page.

The Last Defense episodes examining Jones’ case can be watched online. For more information, visit OKCADP.org and JusticeforJulius,com.