#Man who killed Michael Jordan’s dad James in 1993 approved for parole

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Larry Demery is seen in 1996 and his most recent mugshot.
File AP; mugshot N.C. Department

One of the two men who killed Michael Jordan’s father nearly 30 years ago was granted parole on Tuesday.

Larry Demery — who was sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for the murder of James Jordan — will be a free man on Aug. 6, 2023, the North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission announced on Twitter.

Then just shy of his 18th birthday, Demery and his partner-in-crime Daniel Green, also a teenager, came upon Jordan on July 23, 1993, as he napped in his car on the side of a North Carolina highway.

They shot the 56-year-old man and stole the cherry-red Lexus his basketball star son had recently bought him. His remains were found in a swampy area of McColl, South Carolina that August.

The murder was devastating for the NBA legend, who was extremely close to his father. He retired shortly after, though he said he’d already made the decision before the tragedy.

Both Demery and Green were convicted of first-degree murder — but accused each other of being the triggerman.

As part of a plea deal, Demery testified against Green at trial, saying he was the shooter. However, Green, who was also sentenced to life in prison, claimed Demery asked him to help dispose of Jordan’s body but that he wasn’t there during the killing.

The state’s current sentencing laws eliminates parole for crimes committed on or after Oct. 1, 1994. However, offenders sentenced under the previous guidelines are still eligible.

Demery’s release is contingent on him remaining in good standing as a prisoner. Green won’t be eligible for parole until October 2021, according to local outlet WRAL.