Oklahoma v. Julius Darius Jones with Shelley Levisay and Amy Kingry

Based in Fact

In Episode 1, guests Shelley Levisay and Amy Kingry talk about State of Oklahoma v. Julius Darius Jones. On the evening of July 28, 1999, Jones, armed with a .25 caliber pistol, carjacked and shot Paul Howell in the driveway of his parents’ Edmond, Oklahoma home. His sister and daughters were lucky to escape the carjacking unharmed. In spite of the overwhelming evidence presented at trial establishing Jones’ guilt and post-conviction DNA testing that identified Julius Jones as the person wearing the red bandana described by several witnesses, the Viola Davis-produced The Last Defense in 2018 fueled a media campaign of misinformation that characterized Jones’ guilt as in doubt. In spite of Jones’ extensive prison disciplinary record, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board broke its own rules, holding two hearings and recommending commutation and clemency for Jones. On November 18, 2021, Governor Kevin Stitt commuted Jones’ sentence to life without the possibility of parole.

Shelley Levisay is a criminal defense attorney and owner of Levisay & Associates, an author and podcaster from Shawnee, Oklahoma. She went to the University of Oklahoma College of Law, was Order of Barristers and a Note Editor for the American Indian Law Review. In May, 2022, she will graduate with an LL.M. in Indigenous Peoples.

Amy Kingry has been a paralegal in Oklahoma City for 21 years. She was born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma and began helping victims of violent crime as a result of the misinformation of The Last Defense and the resulting media campaign. Amy co-founded Oklahoma Victims Innocence Project. OKVIP is a community organization dedicated to supporting victims/survivors of violent crime as they navigate the post-conviction process. Amy’s hope is to let victims of violent crimes know that they still have a voice to speak the truth, no matter how much their voices shake. She’s also a cross-fit enthusiast and, with her significant other, fan of the Oklahoma Sooners and OKC Thunder. Amy is also the proud mom of 5 children and bonus mom to 3 step-children, so there’s never a dull moment in her life.