Follow the Truth

In 1993, Michael Jordan’s father, James, was murdered. Was the right man convicted of pulling the trigger?  Daniel Green has served nearly three decades in a North Carolina prison maintaining his innocence in the murder. Veteran crime reporter Amanda Lamb reinvestigates this case full of mystery, contradiction, and dogged by conspiracy theories. The ten-part series from WRAL Studios questions the evidence, scrutinizes the circumstances around the conviction and explores the possibilities of who else may have been responsible for James Jordan’s tragic death.

Who really killed Michael Jordan’s father? Follow the Truth is a true crime podcast re-investigating the murder of Michael Jordan’s dad, James R Jordan Sr. The two men convicted, Larry Demery and Daniel Andre Green tell conflicting stories of what happened the night of the James Jordan murder. Daniel Green has served nearly three decades in a North Carolina prison maintaining his innocence in the killing. Veteran crime reporter Amanda Lamb reinvestigates this case full of mystery, contradiction, and dogged by conspiracy theories. The ten-part series from WRAL Studios questions the evidence, scrutinizes the circumstances around the conviction and explores the possibilities of who else may have been responsible for James Jordan’s tragic death.

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.

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.

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. Photo credit: North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina Library at Chapel Hill

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.

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. Photo Credit: Fayetteville Observer

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.

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.

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.

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.

After twenty-seven years behind bars for the murder 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: why you should care about this case – and the countless others like it – two and a half decades later.

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?

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? Follow the Truth is a true crime podcast re-investigating the murder of Michael Jordan’s dad, James R. Jordan Sr. The two men convicted, Larry Demery and Daniel Andre Green tell conflicting stories of what happened the night of the James Jordan murder. Daniel Green has served nearly three decades in a North Carolina prison maintaining his innocence in the killing. Veteran crime reporter Amanda Lamb questions the evidence, and explores whether this is a case of wrongful conviction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Daniel Green’s last appeal and his first chance at parole were denied, his hope that he would get a chance at freedom was slipping away. Then a surprise decision from the NC Court of Appeals changes everything. It’s the first legal decision in his favor in 28 years. In this episode we talk about what a huge break this could be in the case, and what happens next.

For Follow the Truth listeners, episode one of What Remains, the newest podcast from WRAL Studios and Amanda Lamb. More than twenty years ago, a newborn baby was found dead inside a garbage bag on the side of the road near a military base in North Carolina. The officers working to solve his murder called him Baby Michael, named for the patron saint of police. With no leads on who the baby was, or who his mother was, the mystery turned into a cold case – another unsolved murder – but investigators never gave up on Baby Michael.  Meet the incredible investigators who made it their mission to identify Baby Michael and find his killer, and learn how they tapped into an innovation in forensic science to crack a 21-year old cold case.  What Remains is the new podcast from WRAL Studios where we explore the science of matching unidentified human remains to the missing and the murdered. You can find it now in this podcast app. Wondery+ listeners can listen to all episodes now, ad-free.

After nearly 3 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.

In September, 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.     arv3bqmd

The events that took place in Chester County, Pennsylvania in August 1978 were unthinkable. Family killing family. A father calling for the murder of his own son. For years The Johnston Gang got away with everything—theft, burglary, violence—until the brazen attacks of August 1978 crossed a line, and the family crime empire began to crumble. Host and writer Amanda Lamb shares her own memories of the murders and the trials that followed. Her father was the lead prosecutor who helped bring the killers to justice. A fictional account of The Johnston Gang’s downfall was portrayed in the 1986 movie “At Close Range,” but this is the real story of a violent family crime operation and the long task of bringing its leaders to justice.  You can listen to THE KILLING MONTH AUGUST 1978 ad-free and exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.  

In September 2022, Daniel Green had a hearing before Judge Winston Gilchrist. That day, Daniel fired his longtime attorney and proceeded to represent himself. At stake was whether the judge would grant an evidentiary hearing (the first step to a new trial).  More than a year later, Judge Gilchrist issues his ruling, all 97 pages of it.