Michael Jordan’s father was murdered in 1993 while Jordan was still playing for the Chicago Bulls, and one of the men who was convicted of the crime is in line to be released from prison in three years.
The North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission announced on Tuesday that it has granted parole to 45-year-old Larry Demery, one of the two men who were convicted of murdering Jordan’s father James. Demery has a scheduled release date of Aug. 6, 2023, that will be contingent on him remaining in good standing as a prisoner.
James Jordan was on his way home from a funeral in South Carolina on July 23, 1993, when he stopped on the side of the road to take a nap. Demery and Daniel Green came upon the elder Jordan and shot and killed him while stealing his car. The two men dumped the body off a bridge and it was found 11 days later. Demery pled guilty to first-degree murder, armed robbery, and conspiracy to commit robbery in 1996.
Demery said during the trial that the plan was to tie James Jordan up and steal his car, and he claimed Green decided on his own to shoot and kill James. Green did not testify, but his attorneys argued that Demery was “coached by law enforcement to testify falsely against Mr. Green.” Both men were sentenced to life in prison.
The death of Jordan’s father came a month after he won his third championship with the Bulls, and that is around the time he decided to pursue a career in baseball. Many have wondered if the death of his father played a role in Jordan’s brief career change, but he debunked that theory during “The Last Dance” documentary.
