A man jailed for nearly 30 years for the brutal murder of the father of basketball legend Michael Jordan could be innocent, a new true-crime documentary has claimed.
On July 23, 1993, James Jordan, 56, was shot in Lumberton, North Carolina, while sleeping in a Lexus car that was a gift from his world-famous son, who later described his father as his “rock”
The crime appeared to have been a botched robbery.
Jordan’s body was found dumped in a swamp in South Carolina 11 days later and he was accidentally cremated on August 7 as an unidentified “John Doe”. His family, who reported him missing 21 days after his murder, had not been contacted.
At the time of the killing, Larry Demery, then 17, pleaded guilty to first degree murder and testified against friend and alleged accomplice Daniel Green, then 18, who was also convicted.
They were both sentenced to life in jail.
The court heard that the teenagers initially didn’t realise the identity of the victim, but later reportedly wore the NBA ring given to him by his son and used his car to pick up dates and make phone calls, which were later used to track them down.
Demery, now 44, was unexpectedly granted parole in August last year, due to a legal technicality that will allow him – but not Green – to be released in 2023.
Green, who had an alibi for the whole night of the murder after attending a party in his grandmother’s trailer, has repeatedly claimed over the years that he did not murder Jordan.
The now 45-year-old said he was at the party when Demery, who had reportedly left the event to meet a drug connection, reappeared and asked him to help dispose of the body – before Demery allegedly turned on him on the stand.