N.C. judge in Michael Jordan’s father’s murder case argues for convicted killer’s release

The North Carolina judge who presided over the 1996 murder trial of Michael Jordan’s father petitioned the state’s parole commission to release the convicted killer.

Retired judge Gregory Weeks on Tuesday called for the release of Daniel Green, who was sentenced to life in prison for the fatal shooting of James Jordan, a North Carolina Department of Corrections communication officer confirmed. Green and his co-defendant, Larry Demery, were convicted of killing the basketball legend’s father on July 23, 1993, during a botched robbery. Both were 18 years old at the time of the murder.

Details about Weeks’ petition were not available as parole commission hearings in North Carolina are confidential and not open to the public. Weeks and Michael Jordan did not return requests for comment.

Prior to the murder in 1993, James Jordan was sleeping in his red Lexus along a North Carolina highway when he was shot. The car was gifted to him by his son, who at the time had led the Chicago Bulls to the first three of his six NBA titles.

His body was found in a South Carolina swamp days after the killing and was identified through dental records.

Green was found guilty of murder during the commission of a robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, according to the Associated Press. Demery testified that Green pulled the trigger and killed James Jordan. Demery pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, and like Green, received a life sentence.