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Episode 1: “From John Doe to Michael Jordan’s Dad”

A nearly unidentifiable body is found in the middle of a South Carolina swamp with a gunshot wound to the chest. For three weeks, no one knows the identity of the John Doe. More than sixty miles away in North Carolina, a stripped and vandalized Lexus sports car turns up in the woods. Then the news that shocks the world. That’s Michael Jordan’s car and the dead man is identified as James R Jordan Sr, Michael Jordan’s dad. Days later, authorities say they have their accomplice – Larry Demery – and their killer: Daniel Andre Green. Problem is, Daniel says he didn’t do it. 

In this episode: the crime, why James Jordan wasn’t reported missing by his family for three weeks and the role celebrity played in how the murder was investigated. Read More

Episode 2: “Dig Deeper: The James Jordan Death Investigation”

Investigators say they found the killers of Michael Jordan’s dad, now they just need evidence. Like an NBA championship ring buried in the dirt behind a grandmother’s house. A pistol in a shop vac. A music video. All clues that link Daniel Andre Green to the murder of James Jordan – or at least it looks that way.

In this episode, we examine the James Jordan death investigation and how law enforcement handled a celebrity case that had to be solved, and solved quickly. Read More

Episode 3: “The Complicated Life of Michael Jordan’s Dad, James Jordan”

Everyone followed the fairytale: The handsome kid, a born athlete, rises to stardom, gets the championships, the money, the shoes. It was a superhero story brought to life – and throughout the meteoric rise, Michael Jordan’s dad, James, was always by his side. Their identities are forever linked: even in death James was often described not by name, but as “Michael Jordan’s dad.” But who was James independent of his son and how would their link haunt his death?

In this episode, we delve into the complicated life of James Jordan in the shadow of his superstar son and the web of conspiracies people wove in the aftermath of his death. Read More

Episode 4: “The Devil’s Backyard: Robeson County, NC”

Nobody in Robeson County, NC was surprised about there being another murder in their neck of the woods. Things like that just seemed to happen there. In a place where armed gunmen took over the local newspaper and a political candidate was murdered on the eve of an election, nothing was out of the question. Often dubbed one of the most dangerous places in America, Robeson County, NC earned its reputation through decades of racial tension and police corruption that still haunt the community today.

In this episode, we question whether the deep history of racism and corruption in Robeson County, NC could result in a fair trial for Daniel Andre Green. Read More

Episode 5: “The State v. Daniel Andre Green”

It’s 1996. Three years after the James Jordan murder, the accused faces a jury – and the media, who come out in a frenzy, cameras loaded, hungry for the next OJ trial phenomenon. As the world learns what law enforcement thinks happened when Michael Jordan’s dad, James drove through rural North Carolina in the middle of the night, all eyes turn to the state’s star witness: Larry Demery, Daniel Green’s co-defendant and childhood best friend, who testifies it was Daniel who fired the shot that ended James Jordan’s life.

This episode details the case against Daniel Andre Green and how sometimes, he can be his own worst enemy. Read More

Episode 6: “Daniel Green’s Story”

As a kid, Daniel Andre Green begged his mom to buy Wheaties so he could collect the Michael Jordan posters tucked away inside each orange “Breakfast of Champions” box. He says, to a young Black guy back then, Michael Jordan was everything. He was status. He was swag. And he was proof you could make it, too. So when Daniel was arrested in 1993 for killing Michael Jordan’s dad, no one was more surprised than him.

In this episode we hear the most detailed first person account of Daniel’s version of what really happened the night of the James Jordan murder and in the days after. Read More

Episode 7: “Daniel Green’s Family, Waiting to Exhale”

For Elizabeth Green, more than one life was lost in the summer of 1993. While the Jordan family mourned for their father, she wept for her son, Daniel Andre Green. And when Daniel’s childhood friend–a boy partially raised in their home––testified against him, it was traumatic for the whole family.

In this episode, we talk about the lives changed on the other side of murder – what it means for your whole family when your son is branded the killer of Michael Jordan’s dad. Read More

Episode 8: “New Evidence, New Questions in the Case Against Daniel Green and Larry Demery”

After winning exoneration for a falsely-accused murderer in North Carolina and blowing the lid off a pattern of corrupt behaviour at the State Bureau of Investigation, her name is one spoken in hushed tones around prison yards. She’s won every wrongful conviction case she’s ever taken on.

And now, Christine Mumma and the NC Center on Actual Innocence are in Daniel Andre Green’s corner. This episode, we go through the evidence she says should be enough to earn Daniel his freedom. Read More

Episode 9: “Who is Larry Demery?”

For decades, Larry Demery has been a locked box. When journalists went to his family for a statement, they were met with gunfire. Since his conviction for the murder of Michael Jordan’s dad he’s turned down every interview. But it turns out, he did speak up once: before the trial, Larry makes a bombshell statement to a reporter. But, this information never came out at trial. How is that possible? And what kind of deal convinced him to testify against his best friend?

In this episode we look at who Larry Demery is and how his life has played out since being convicted of James Jordan’s murder. Read More

Episode 10: “Revelations – Who Murdered James Jordan?”

After twenty-seven years behind bars for the muder of Michael Jordan’s dad, Larry Demery recants his trial testimony in a conversation with Daniel Green’s attorney. So, what’s the truth? Who murdered James Jordan? And could it be that Daniel Andre Green’s best hope to get out of prison is the Jordan family itself?

In this episode of the Follow The Truth podcast, we explore why you should care about this case – and the countless others like it – two and a half decades later. Read More

Episode 11: “Update: Daniel Green’s First Parole Hearing”

Since 1996 Daniel Green has been serving a life sentence for the murder of Michael Jordan’s dad. For the first time, he is eligible for parole.

Fortunately for Daniel, there is a devoted team of people working to make his case to the parole commission. Who are they and what did they say to try to convince the four-person panel to make Daniel Andre Green a free man?

In this episode: The three key people making Daniel’s case to the parole commission. How does parole work in North Carolina? What happens at a parole hearing? And will Daniel Green be released? Read More

Bonus: “Larry Demery’s Parole Revoked”

Larry Demery has served 28 years behind bars for the murder of Michael Jordan’s father, James. In 2020 he was granted parole and required to complete a three-year pre-release program. If he stayed out of trouble in prison, he would be released in August 2023. A few months later, due to some infractions, his release date was pushed to August 2024. Recently, the parole commission announced they were cancelling Demery’s parole completely. What happened to cause this rare termination of parole? Episode Transcript

Episode 12: “Update: Surprise Court Ruling Impacts Daniel Green’s Bid for New Trial”

A new ruling from the NC Supreme Court could have big ramifications in Daniel’s case. It involves a claim of “ineffective assistance of counsel,” which was one of the reasons attorney Chris Mumma said Daniel deserved a new hearing. Her motion for a new hearing was flatly denied two years ago but after the Supreme Court decision, the NC Court of Appeals ruled Daniel’s motion should be reconsidered.

After 28 years behind bars, Daniel’s attorney calls this “the first positive thing that has happened in his case.”

In this episode: How the NC Supreme Court decision impacts Daniel Green, what the ruling from the Court of Appeals could mean to his case, and Daniel’s response. Is this a reason for hope, or another bump in the road? Read More

Episode 13: 30 Minutes to Plead for Freedom

After nearly three decades in prison for the murder of Michael Jordan’s father, Daniel Green finally has the chance to get a hearing that could lead to a new trial and even his freedom. But instead of letting his attorney of more than 6 years argue on his behalf, in the eleventh hour, he fires her and makes his own off-the-cuff argument in front of the judge. Spectators in court are stunned, fearing Green may have thrown away his last chance of coming home.

Episode 14: Daniel Green Calls from Prison

In September 2022, Daniel Green came to court, fired his attorney of more than six years, and made a 30-minute oral argument on his own behalf for an evidentiary hearing. It’s not the way anyone expected the court proceeding to go down, even Daniel. Finally, we were able to speak with Daniel from prison and get his take on what happened that day and why he chose to argue for his own freedom.