Who is Julius Jones?

Julius Darius Jones is an American prisoner and former death row inmate from Oklahoma who was convicted of the July 1999 murder of Paul Howell.

Paul Scott Howell, a businessman, was shot to death while sitting in the driver’s seat of his GMC Suburban, which was parked in the driveway of his parents’ home in Edmond, Oklahoma, on July 28, 1999.

Howell’s daughter, Rachel Howell, said she remembered sitting in the backseat of their car and seeing Jones approach the car before shooting her father in the head.

Again, Howell’s sister, Megan Tobey, also testified that she saw Jones shoot her brother.

Police found the murder weapon wrapped in a red bandana in Jones’ family home leading to the arrest of Jones and Jordan and were indicted for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit a felony (the stolen Suburban).

Jones denied having a role in the carjacking that led to Howell’s murder and his family have maintained that he was eating dinner and playing games at home with his family on the night of the murder.

Julius Jones’ case received international attention due to claims of innocence and controversy surrounding his trial and conviction.

Jones and his defense team maintain that he is innocent, arguing that he was at home when the murder occurred and that his co-defendant, Christopher Jordan, is the true perpetrator of the crime.

However, Howell’s family maintains that Jones is responsible for the murder.

Jones was scheduled to be executed on November 18, 2021.

However, four hours before his scheduled execution, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt commuted his sentence to life imprisonment without parole.

In 2018, Jones was featured in the first season of The Last Defense, an American documentary series that explores and exposes flaws in the American justice system.

The episodes about Jones focused on evidence attorneys failed to present in court regarding Jones’ co-defendant Christopher Jordan.

Since the documentary aired, Kim Kardashian, J. Cole, and Stephen Curry have expressed support for Jones, with Kardashian going further to visit Jones in prison.

Jones’ story was also featured on a 2020 podcast episode featuring Kardashian and a 2021 episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden.

On July 15, 2020, Jones was featured on an episode of 20/20 titled The Last Defense: Julius Jones – A Special Edition of 20/20.

On May 19, 2022, Jones’ story was featured on Episode 6 of The Kardashians, ‘This is a Life or Death Situation’, focusing on Kim Kardashian’s successful efforts to appeal his death sentence.