One of the two men convicted in the 1993 murder of Michael Jordan’s father has been granted approval to be released from prison in 2023.
The North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission on Tuesday announced that it granted parole for Larry Martin Demery, 45, WECT reported. The commission said Demery would be released Aug. 6, 2023. That date is contingent on Demery remaining in good standing as a prisoner, according to WTVD.
In 1996, Demery was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in the fatal shooting of James Jordan, 57, WECT reported.
James Jordan was fatally shot on July 23, 1993. He was returning to Charlotte from a funeral when he stopped on the side of the road south of Lumberton, North Carolina, to take a nap, WTVD reported.
Demery and Daniel Andre Green found the elder Jordan and killed him, stealing his Lexus, according to court records. Jordan’s body was found in a swampy area in McColl, South Carolina, on Aug. 3, 1993, WECT reported. Jordan had $62, several credit cards in his pocket and golf clubs in the trunk, according to The Washington Post.
During their trial, Demery testified that he and Green were just going to tie up Jordan, WTVD reported. Demery also testified that Green decided on his own to pull the trigger, shooting and killing Jordan.
A Robeson County jury took nearly five hours over two days to decide that Green shot Jordan in the chest, the Post reported.
After being originally sentenced to life plus 40 years, Demery was resentenced in 2008 to one life term, according to Bleacher Report. That made him eligible for parole.
North Carolina’s current sentencing law guidelines eliminate parole for crimes committed after Oct. 1, 1994, WWAY reported. Because Demery was sentenced under previous guidelines, he can be considered for parole, the television station reported.