Man convicted of killing Michael Jordan's father fires attorney at court hearing that could have led to a retrial
The man convicted of killing Michael Jordan's father, James Jordan, in 1993 had a hearing Thursday in Harnett County that could have led to a new trial.
Instead, Daniel Green fired his attorney and made his own oral argument in front of the judge.
Green’s attorney, Christine Mumma, who heads the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence, still can't believe what happened Thursday inside the Harnett County Courthouse.
“Daniel gets nervous when we get to these critical stages in his case,” Mumma said. “I didn't think he would go forward with it.
“When push came to shove, I thought he would realize we were fighting very hard for him, and we're very committed to his case and he would keep our representation.”
Mumma has worked on Green's case for more than six years. She was prepared to argue on his behalf that he deserves an evidentiary hearing, the step to a new trial.
Instead, Green fired her citing conflicts between them. Mumma admits they have had many conflicts over the years, but the most recent one involved him wanting to hold his prior attorneys and prosecutors criminally liable for errors made in the case.
“He wanted sanctions against them, and I told him our representation was to represent him post-conviction and try and get him home try and get him a new trial get his freedom,” Mumma said.
Green has stated publicly for years that he did not kill James Jordan, but admits to helping his co-defendant Larry Demery, dispose of his body.
Cameras were not allowed Thursday inside the courtroom, but WRAL News was there when Green made his 30- minute, off-the-cuff, often rambling argument. Green admitted he was unprepared.
“So, there were these little glimmers where he hit on the law, but there was a lot of that was completely unrelated to where we are at this point and time in his case,” Mumma said.
Despite not being his attorney anymore, Mumma said she still stands behind Green.
“I remain committed to [Green’s] case,” Mumma said. “I'm sorry he made the decision he made. I think it was the wrong decision.”
The state only had a five-minute argument in response to Green’s argument. The judge took it under advisement, and will rule at a later date whether Green will get an evidentiary hearing.
“Follow the Truth” podcast and “Moment of Truth” five-part documentary
Green's case is the subject of WRAL's podcast “Follow the Truth,” which is hosted by WRAL reporter Amanda Lamb.
Capitol Broadcasting also produced a five-part documentary about the murder case called “Moment of Truth,” which viewers can watch on Amazon Prime or its free streaming service.
