James R. Jordan Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Raymond Jordan (1936-07-31)July 31, 1936 Wallace, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | July 23, 1993(1993-07-23) (aged 56) |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
| Resting place | Rockfish African Methodist Episcopal Church Cemetery |
| Other names | Ray Jordan |
| Education | Charity High School |
| Known for | Father ofMichael Jordan |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5, includingMichael Jordan |
| Relatives | Jeffrey Jordan (grandson) Marcus Jordan (grandson) |
James Raymond Jordan Sr. (July 31, 1936 – July 23, 1993) was the father of formerbasketball player and businessmanMichael Jordan.
Jordan was born on July 31, 1936, inWallace, North Carolina. While attending Charity High School, he met Deloris Peoples (born September 1941). The two began dating and remained together for the next three years. Upon graduation, Jordan joined theAir Force and was stationed inSan Antonio,Texas. In 1956, he transferred to a base inVirginia and married Peoples shortly thereafter. Their first child, James Ronald "Ronnie" Jr., was born the following year. Jordan left the Air Force and got a job at a textile mill in Wallace. The Jordans had two more children while in Wallace, Deloris andLarry.[1] The Jordans brought up their children in theMethodist faith.[2]
In 1963, the Jordan family moved toBrooklyn so that Jordan could receive mechanic's training on theG.I. Bill. He studied airplane hydraulics, while Peoples found work at a bank. While living in Brooklyn, the Jordans had another child, sonMichael. As crime began to increase in Brooklyn in the 1960s, the Jordans moved back to North Carolina to raise their children in a safer environment. Upon completing his 18 months' training, Jordan and his family moved toWilmington, North Carolina. It was there that the couple's fifth child, Roslyn, was born.[1]
A lifelongbasketball fan, Jordan played a large role in inspiring his son Michael to become an athlete and traveled the United States to follow his son's career, first at theUniversity of North Carolina and then with theChicago Bulls.[3]
Nonetheless, Jordan was also a very bigbaseball fan, having gone semi-pro himself. In his autobiography and in interviews throughout his career, son Michael recounted that it was his father's vision that he become a baseball star. Baseball was, in fact, the first sport Jordan had taught him to play. Michael recounted that this was a major factor in his decision to try baseball after his first retirement from theNBA.[4][5]
In her memoirIn My Family's Shadow, Jordan's daughter Deloris accused him ofsexually abusing her between the ages of 8 and 16.[6]
Ben Affleck andMatt Damon produced a film calledAir about Nike's signing ofMichael Jordan and ultimately theAir Jordan brand.[7] Julius Tennon plays James Jordan in the film.
On July 23, 1993, while returning home after spending the day playing golf, Jordan, allegedly tired from being on the road so late, pulled his Lexus over to rest about an hour into his drive. He stopped in the parking lot of a Quality Inn at the intersection of U.S. 74 and I-95 south ofLumberton, North Carolina (though some say his car was moved to the parking lot from the side of the road later).[8] Larry Martin Demery would testify that he and Daniel Andre Green spotted the car Michael had recently purchased for him (a redLexus SC400 with the North Carolina license plate that read "UNC0023").[9] Green shot James Jordan to death while he slept in his car and thenstole the vehicle. His body was found on August 10 in a swamp inMcColl, South Carolina. As his body was in a state of extreme decomposition, Jordan was not identified until August 13 with the help ofdental records provided by the familydentist; his body had previously been cremated by the coroner due to lack of storage space, but his jaw and hands were preserved for identification and were later cremated and mailed with the rest of his ashes to Michael Jordan.[10]
Jordan's urn containing his ashes were placed inside a casket and buried at Rockfish AfricanMethodist Episcopal Church inTeachey, North Carolina, on August 15, 1993.[11][12]
Green and Demery took other items from the car, including twoNBA championship rings given to Jordan by his son. Green and Demery made several calls from Jordan'scell phone and as a result were quickly captured. After their arrest, Demery said that they had planned only to tie up their victim and that Green pulled the trigger for no reason. Both were convicted and sentenced tolife imprisonment.[13] The accusation was based only on Demery's testimony; Green did not testify. Defense counsel Woodberry Bowen said Demery had everything to gain by lying that Green was the shooter, and that Demery's testimony put him closer than he earlier admitted.[14]
In 2010, it was revealed the case was one of nearly 200 that were in review after theNorth Carolina State Bureau of Investigation found that laboratory technicians mishandled or omitted evidence.[15] However, the Jordan case was later removed from the list.[16]
On July 23, 2018, Christine Mumma, executive director of the Center on Actual Innocence, said evidence showed Green did not commit the murder. Green claimed Demery merely asked him for help disposing of the body.[17] On August 3, 2018, Superior Court Judge Winston Gilchrist ruled on several motions and set a December date for a hearing.[18] On December 5, 2018, Mumma asked Gilchrist to allow a closer look at evidence that could lead to a new trial, and Gilchrist said he would rule later.[19] Gilchrist said on March 6, 2019, that he would not grant Green a hearing, and Mumma said she would appeal.[20]
In October 2024, the judge who presided over the murder case, Gregory Weeks, petitioned North Carolina's parole commission to release Green. He stated that analyses by a forensic blood analyst which could have affected the outcome of the trial had been withheld.[21] Green has also sought perjury charges against Demery and his lawyer.[22]
 | Parts of this article (those related to Demery) need to beupdated. The reason given is:Parole review hearing date. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2024) |
In August 2020, Demery was approved forparole by the North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission (the commission), with a scheduled release in August 2023.[23] The scheduled release had already been pushed back by the commission to August 2024 when – in December 2021 – a review by the Commission resulted in the termination of his scheduled parole release; his next parole review hearing was set for December 2023.[24]
The family . . . attend services at Rockfish African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Jordan family's place of worship for decades
For more than 25 years, the man identified as the triggerman in the death of Michael Jordan's father has repeatedly declared his innocence in the murder.
James R. Jordan Sr. atFind a Grave
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