Scheduled parole for man convicted of killing Michael Jordan's father suddenly canceled

The scheduled parole for one of the two men convicted of killing Michael Jordan’s father in 1993 was canceled on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

A North Carolina state panel officially canceled the planned parole for Larry Demery on Tuesday, and did not give a reason why.

Demery was approved in August 2020 for the Mutual Agreement Parole Program, which is a vocational and scholastic program offered through the prison, and was scheduled to be released on Aug. 6, 2023. That was then delayed by 12 months to 2024.

Convicts in North Carolina who are serving life sentences for murder are no longer eligible for parole in the state. James Jordan’s murder took place in 1993, about one year before that ruling went into effect.

Though it’s not clear why the 46-year-old’s parole was canceled, North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesperson Greg Thomas told The Associated Press that the parole program Demery was part of can be terminated if the prisoner either doesn’t follow program guidelines or violates behavior rules in prison. Per the report, Demery has had 19 infractions since 2001 at the Lincoln County, North Carolina, prison he is at — including two for “substance possession” this month.

James was killed on July 23, 1993, when he was sleeping in his car in rural North Carolina. His body was found 11 days later, shortly after Michael won his third NBA title with the Chicago Bulls, in a South Carolina swamp.

Demery, along with former classmate Daniel Green, was sentenced in 1996 for killing James. Demery testified in court that he helped Green move James’ body to that swamp after he said he saw Green shoot James during a random robbery. Demery and Green were 18 at the time.

Green, who has long said he’s innocent, was sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years. Demery was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was resentenced in 2008 after an error was found in his sentencing, which is partly why he was deemed eligible for parole.