Larry M. Demery, 45, was paroleed on Tuesday and will be released on August 6, 2023, the NC Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission announced
One of the two men convicted in the 1993 murder of Michael Jordan’s father will be released from prison after serving 27 years of life, officials announced on Tuesday.
Larry M. Demery, 45, is set to walk free on Aug. 6, 2023, after being paroleed this week by the North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission, ABC 11 reported.
Demery was sentenced to life in prison in 1996 after pleading guilty to charges of murder and manslaughter in the fatal shooting on James Jordan Sr.
Jordan Sr. was shot dead in July 1993 while sleeping in his Lexus parking lot off Highway 74 in Robeson County, North Carolina.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Post-Release Oversight and Parole Board said Demery was approved for a mutual agreement (MAPP) para-program, a scholastic and professional program for liberated submitters.
The violent death shocked fans of James World’s world-famous son, Michael (pictured with his father) who at that point had led the Chicago Bulls to the first three of his six NBA titles
The letter notes that while the state of North Carolina is not losing prosecution to those serving life sentences for murder, Demery’s crimes were committed before October 1, 1994 – when the law went into effect.
Demery, who was 17 at the time, and classmate Daniel Green were both accused of killing Jordan, stealing his car and dumping his body over a bridge in South Carolina after he was charged with robbery.
The remains of Jordan were found weeks later on August 3, in a swampy area near McColl, South Carolina.
During the murder trial, the men accused each other of attracting the trigger, but both were eventually convicted of murder.
Green, however, remains imprisoned, despite his repeated attempts at a new trial. His latest effort was rejected by a judge last year, The News & Observer reported.
Larry Demery, left, and Daniel Green, were convicted of murdering James Jordan, father of NBA star Michael Jordan, in 1996. Green remains behind bars despite repeated requests for a new trial
Michael Jordan’s father, James Jordan Sr. (left), was shot dead in July 1993 while sleeping in his car on a highway in North Carolina.
His conviction for first-degree murder has previously been upheld by two state courts.
Lawyers for Green had claimed he was not present when Jordan shot in the chest and only helped dislocate the body.
Prosecutors have claimed that Green Jordan was killed as part of a series of crimes involving other armed robbers.
A confirmation that accompanied a motion for a new trial last year stated that Demery had all told Green’s lawyer Christine Mumma during a December 2018 interview that ‘he felt coached by law enforcement to testify falsely against Mr Green.’
Mumma said the case against Green depended on evidence by Demery, claiming he had an incentive to lie in hopes of avoiding the death penalty.
The violent death shocked fans of James Jordan’s world-famous son, Michael, who at that point had led the Chicago Bulls to the first three of his six NBA titles. Jordan now owns the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.
The NBA legend opened on the death of his father in sports documentary ‘The Last Dance’, released earlier this year.
Jordan recalled the advice his father had given him when dealing with times of hardship.
“One of the things he always taught me was that you have to take a negative and turn it into a positive,” Jordan said.
‘That I started looking the other way, and that helped me get through.’
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