Death row inmate Julius Jones (pictured in the late '90s) was convicted of murder in the 1999 and is scheduled for execution in the coming months, even though another man has confessed to the crime
James Corden, host of The Late Late Show, has asked his viewers to petition the Oklahoma governor and parole board on behalf of death row inmate Julius Jones.
Jones, 40, was convicted of murder in the 1999 shooting of 45-year-old Paul Howell in Oklahoma City. He is scheduled for execution in the coming months, even though another man has confessed to the crime.
Although he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, Jones and his family maintain his innocence, arguing he was framed in a racially-charged case.
Now, as his execution date nears, Corden - among others - are begging citizens to call upon Oklahoma lawmakers, asking them to revisit Jones' case and allow him to plead his case.
'I sincerely beg you to join me in taking action and shining a light on Julius' story because together we might be able to spare the life of an innocent man,' Corden said.
'The only way we can find out if justice has been served is if Julius is given the chance to present the case for his innocence.'
Speaking about the case on his show Tuesday night, Corden outlined some of the alleged injustices that occurred during Jones' trial, arguing that there is 'overwhelming evidence of his innocence'.
According to Corden, Jones had an alibi the night of Howell's murder, however it was never presented to the jury because of an inexperienced public defender 'who later admitted under oath to making key mistakes in this case including not showing crucial photo evidence and not cross examining witnesses'.
'When it was time to present their case, Julius' lawyer stood up and said "the defense rests,"' Corden said.
He added: 'There are so many other ways this case was stacked against Julius from the start.'
The television host claims there was evidence of racial bias in the case and that the prosecutor had a known reputation for misconduct, arguing that a third of his death penalty convictions have been overturned.
Now, James Corden, host of The Late Late Show, is asking his viewers to petition the Oklahoma governor and parole board on behalf of Jones
Corden said Tuesday night: 'I sincerely beg you to join me in taking action and shining a light on Julius' story because together we might be able to spare the life of an innocent man. 'The only way we can find out if justice has been served is if Julius (pictured as a teen) is given the chance to present the case for his innocence'
'And if that wasn't enough to call Julius' death sentence into question, which it is - but if it isn't, somebody else has confessed to the murder. Multiple people have signed sworn affidavits testifying that another man said he committed the murder and framed Julius for it,' Corden continued.
'I am not a legal scholar but even if you don't accept that Julius Jones is an innocent man, it seems pretty clear that he did
