Crime lab errs in James Jordan case

 
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> Off Topic Reply to topic
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24744

PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 3:46 pm    Post subject: Crime lab errs in James Jordan case

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=5477202

Quote:
Crime lab errs in James Jordan case

* Email
* Print
* Comments14

Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The man convicted of killing Michael Jordan's father went to prison in part thanks to testimony that he pointed a gun through a car window and fired the fatal shot from just inches away.

Given the gruesome portrayal, Daniel Andre Green's defense attorneys repeatedly questioned why so little -- if any -- blood was actually found in that vehicle, and one of the lawyers once laughed in court when downplaying the physical evidence. Their arguments could be bolstered by an independent report this week that concluded the state's crime lab mishandled his case and nearly 200 others over a 16-year period ending in 2003.

"It looks like it's going to be something pretty significant," Green's current attorney, Scott Holmes, said of the report released Wednesday.

The outside inquest has led state prosecutors to request a more detailed review of all the investigations, and even lawyers in cases unrelated to the audit hope the lab's mistakes could help them win new trials.

James Jordan's 1993 murder offers a glimpse into how the State Bureau of Investigation's errors could threaten years-old convictions. An SBI expert testified at trial that she found a small amount of blood in the passenger seat of Jordan's car. But according to this week's review, the SBI found only "indications" blood was present in an initial test, and four follow-up tests were inconclusive.

Green's trial lawyers admitted that he helped dispose of Jordan's body and drove Jordan's car, but the lawyers denied that Green killed him and tried to cast doubt on key testimony by his co-defendant.

Angus Thompson, one of Green's trial attorneys, said he was reviewing the details of the case but didn't think the SBI ever disclosed the inconclusive follow-up tests.

"The fact that were four other tests done is critical," Thompson said. "It should have been disclosed. It certainly is exculpatory evidence."

The outside review found scores of similar flaws. It said SBI blood analysts omitted, overstated or falsely reported blood evidence in 190 criminal cases and that information that could have helped defendants was sometimes misrepresented or withheld.

An assistant for Michael Jordan, now owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, didn't respond to calls seeking comment Thursday. Two months after James Jordan's body was found, the emotionally drained star walked away from basketball at the peak of his career to play minor league baseball -- his father's first love -- for two seasons before returning to the NBA.

In a 1996 trial that captured the country's attention, Green's lawyers questioned why there was so little blood evidence when co-defendant Larry Demery had said James Jordan was shot at near point blank range in the vehicle where he had been sleeping. They theorized that Demery was actually the killer.

Past attorneys for Green, who changed his name to Lord D.A.A.S. U'Allah, have also noted there was no conclusive match between what authorities said was the murder weapon and a bullet in James Jordan's body, nor was there gunshot residue in the car.

Holmes, Green's current lawyer, said he is already working on an appeal unrelated to the blood evidence, but would look closely at the SBI report. He declined to discuss further details.

Prosecutors have said that Jordan was shot and killed in July 1993 after a nap in his Lexus, which he had parked at a North Carolina interstate rest stop while driving home from a funeral. His body was found a couple of weeks later in a South Carolina swamp.

Johnson Britt, who prosecuted the case in Lumberton and still serves as district attorney, said he's confident Green's murder conviction would stand if challenged. He pointed to the fact that Green used Jordan's car and cell phone, and that the weapon authorities say killed Jordan was found in his home.

"There was a lot of evidence that linked him to the commission of that crime," Britt said. He believes Green pulled the trigger.

Jurors were also shown a video of Green dancing while wearing a watch and two NBA rings the basketball star gave his father.

But Green's lawyers argued at the time that he had nothing to do with the killing and that Demery, who testified against Green, was coerced into pleading guilty to murder to save himself. The defense called four witnesses who testified that Green was with them watching television at the hour Jordan was killed.

The case that prompted the SBI lab review also hinged on blood evidence from a car, and it ended in the exoneration of a man who spent 16 years in custody for a murder he didn't commit. At Greg Taylor's innocence hearing this year, attorneys proved there was no blood on his SUV despite a previous SBI report indicating there was. An SBI agent testified this year that the agency had a policy of writing on lab reports that a test showed "chemical indications for the presence of blood" even when a follow-up test didn't confirm that result.

The outside report by two former federal law enforcement officials does not conclude that any innocent people were convicted, and in some cases there was additional evidence or admissions of guilt. But based on the report, Attorney General Roy Cooper has ordered prosecutors and defense lawyers to check whether tainted lab reports helped lead to confessions or pleas.

Lawyers for inmates on death row, including some not included in the audit, are already meeting or planning to meet with their clients, said Gerda Stein, spokeswoman for the Center on Death Penalty Litigation.

"We need to reinvestigate the case of every single person on death row," she said.

Attorney David Rudolf, who represented author Mike Peterson in a high-profile murder case, said he would review testimony given in that trial by the SBI agent involved in five cases the report characterizes as the most egregious violations.

Peterson's case was not flagged in the SBI report this week, but Rudolf said the review only begins to expose how agents can stretch or hide the truth.

"That's the tip of the iceberg," Rudolf said. "If they're willing to hide the truth in one circumstance, how can you not assume that they were not willing to do it in a much easier circumstance to do it?"
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
postandpivot
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 16 Sep 2003
Posts: 36822

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 11:25 am    Post subject: Re: Crime lab errs in James Jordan case

Basketball Fan wrote:
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=5477202

Quote:
Crime lab errs in James Jordan case

* Email
* Print
* Comments14

Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The man convicted of killing Michael Jordan's father went to prison in part thanks to testimony that he pointed a gun through a car window and fired the fatal shot from just inches away.

Given the gruesome portrayal, Daniel Andre Green's defense attorneys repeatedly questioned why so little -- if any -- blood was actually found in that vehicle, and one of the lawyers once laughed in court when downplaying the physical evidence. Their arguments could be bolstered by an independent report this week that concluded the state's crime lab mishandled his case and nearly 200 others over a 16-year period ending in 2003.

"It looks like it's going to be something pretty significant," Green's current attorney, Scott Holmes, said of the report released Wednesday.

The outside inquest has led state prosecutors to request a more detailed review of all the investigations, and even lawyers in cases unrelated to the audit hope the lab's mistakes could help them win new trials.

James Jordan's 1993 murder offers a glimpse into how the State Bureau of Investigation's errors could threaten years-old convictions. An SBI expert testified at trial that she found a small amount of blood in the passenger seat of Jordan's car. But according to this week's review, the SBI found only "indications" blood was present in an initial test, and four follow-up tests were inconclusive.

Green's trial lawyers admitted that he helped dispose of Jordan's body and drove Jordan's car, but the lawyers denied that Green killed him and tried to cast doubt on key testimony by his co-defendant.

Angus Thompson, one of Green's trial attorneys, said he was reviewing the details of the case but didn't think the SBI ever disclosed the inconclusive follow-up tests.

"The fact that were four other tests done is critical," Thompson said. "It should have been disclosed. It certainly is exculpatory evidence."

The outside review found scores of similar flaws. It said SBI blood analysts omitted, overstated or falsely reported blood evidence in 190 criminal cases and that information that could have helped defendants was sometimes misrepresented or withheld.

An assistant for Michael Jordan, now owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, didn't respond to calls seeking comment Thursday. Two months after James Jordan's body was found, the emotionally drained star walked away from basketball at the peak of his career to play minor league baseball -- his father's first love -- for two seasons before returning to the NBA.

In a 1996 trial that captured the country's attention, Green's lawyers questioned why there was so little blood evidence when co-defendant Larry Demery had said James Jordan was shot at near point blank range in the vehicle where he had been sleeping. They theorized that Demery was actually the killer.

Past attorneys for Green, who changed his name to Lord D.A.A.S. U'Allah, have also noted there was no conclusive match between what authorities said was the murder weapon and a bullet in James Jordan's body, nor was there gunshot residue in the car.

Holmes, Green's current lawyer, said he is already working on an appeal unrelated to the blood evidence, but would look closely at the SBI report. He declined to discuss further details.

Prosecutors have said that Jordan was shot and killed in July 1993 after a nap in his Lexus, which he had parked at a North Carolina interstate rest stop while driving home from a funeral. His body was found a couple of weeks later in a South Carolina swamp.

Johnson Britt, who prosecuted the case in Lumberton and still serves as district attorney, said he's confident Green's murder conviction would stand if challenged. He pointed to the fact that Green used Jordan's car and cell phone, and that the weapon authorities say killed Jordan was found in his home.

"There was a lot of evidence that linked him to the commission of that crime," Britt said. He believes Green pulled the trigger.

Jurors were also shown a video of Green dancing while wearing a watch and two NBA rings the basketball star gave his father.

But Green's lawyers argued at the time that he had nothing to do with the killing and that Demery, who testified against Green, was coerced into pleading guilty to murder to save himself. The defense called four witnesses who testified that Green was with them watching television at the hour Jordan was killed.

The case that prompted the SBI lab review also hinged on blood evidence from a car, and it ended in the exoneration of a man who spent 16 years in custody for a murder he didn't commit. At Greg Taylor's innocence hearing this year, attorneys proved there was no blood on his SUV despite a previous SBI report indicating there was. An SBI agent testified this year that the agency had a policy of writing on lab reports that a test showed "chemical indications for the presence of blood" even when a follow-up test didn't confirm that result.

The outside report by two former federal law enforcement officials does not conclude that any innocent people were convicted, and in some cases there was additional evidence or admissions of guilt. But based on the report, Attorney General Roy Cooper has ordered prosecutors and defense lawyers to check whether tainted lab reports helped lead to confessions or pleas.

Lawyers for inmates on death row, including some not included in the audit, are already meeting or planning to meet with their clients, said Gerda Stein, spokeswoman for the Center on Death Penalty Litigation.

"We need to reinvestigate the case of every single person on death row," she said.

Attorney David Rudolf, who represented author Mike Peterson in a high-profile murder case, said he would review testimony given in that trial by the SBI agent involved in five cases the report characterizes as the most egregious violations.

Peterson's case was not flagged in the SBI report this week, but Rudolf said the review only begins to expose how agents can stretch or hide the truth.

"That's the tip of the iceberg," Rudolf said. "If they're willing to hide the truth in one circumstance, how can you not assume that they were not willing to do it in a much easier circumstance to do it?"


Its what black folks call "Getting railroaded"
now truth is, like it says, this doesn't mean these fools didnt have something to do with the crime. or didn't commit it else where at a different time. who knows. but it does mean that the DA's office more often then not will do things to coerce you into pleading guilty. and if that means taking questionable evidence and making it SEEM 10 times more conclusive then it actually is. then so be it. the only problem with this is in the event that you're convicting someone on their first time. and there is a 50/50 chance they didn't commit the crime or drive a get away car etc at all. if you rely on questionable evidence to trick people into guilty pleas. what kind of justice is that?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24744

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:46 pm    Post subject:

I always think Prosecutors are really worse than defense attorneys when it comes down to it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
jonnybravo
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 21 Sep 2007
Posts: 30621

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 5:07 pm    Post subject:

Basketball Fan wrote:
I always think Prosecutors are really worse than defense attorneys when it comes down to it.


I have friends that are attorneys on both sides of the fence. It's more about winning than it is about "justice".
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24744

PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 5:09 pm    Post subject:

While I agree with prosecutors even if the defendant is innocent and they have some idea of it they still don't care.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24744

PostPosted: Mon Feb 05, 2018 3:51 pm    Post subject:

http://wncn.com/2018/02/04/attorneys-claim-evidence-tampering-in-murder-of-michael-jordans-dad/

Quote:
Attorneys claim evidence tampering in murder of Michael Jordan’s dad





RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Attorneys for a man serving a life sentence for the murder of Michael Jordan’s father say their client deserves a new trial because they say someone tampered with evidence.

Attorneys for Daniel Green say the autopsy found no hole in James Jordan’s shirt that corresponded with the bullet wound in his upper right chest area.



But the filing says an agent with the State Bureau of Investigation later noted a hole in the shirt, contradicting the autopsy.

The new claim was filed Wednesday in Robeson County Superior Court.

The basketball great’s father was killed on July 23, 1993. His body was found in a South Carolina swamp.

Green and Larry Demery were convicted after Demery testified that Green shot Jordan as he slept in his car along U.S. Highway 74.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
ContagiousInspiration
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 07 May 2014
Posts: 13811
Location: Boulder ;)

PostPosted: Mon Feb 05, 2018 8:39 pm    Post subject:

50 States
Same everywhere
Money before Christ.. sadly they even put it on the money to fool people into thinking they were Christians..
Money before Human Honor

It is a human sickness

How can we live this long knowing power corrupts and still allow those in power to be corrupt?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> Off Topic All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1
Jump to:  

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum






Graphics by uberzev
© 1995-2018 LakersGround.net. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Terms of Use.
LakersGround is an unofficial news source serving the fan community since 1995.
We are in no way associated with the Los Angeles Lakers or the National Basketball Association.


Powered by phpBB