LUMBERTON, N.C. (WBTW) – A man serving a life sentence for killing Michael Jordan’s father was caught possessing substances weeks before his parole agreement was “terminated,” according to information from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Larry Demery was convicted for the 1993 death of James Jordan, who was traveling from Charlotte to Wilmington when he stopped on the side of the road in Lumberton to take a nap. Demery and Daniel Green shot and killed him during a robbery. They also took his phone and NBA rings given to him by his son.
They then dumped his body in a swamp in McColl, where it was found 11 days later.
Demery and Green were convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery. Both were sentenced to life in prison. They were teenagers at the time of the murder.
Demery was granted parole in 2020 and was scheduled to be released in 2023. He became a candidate for parole due to the Mutual Agreement Parole Program, which is a three-way agreement between the North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission, the state’s division of prisoners and the offender.
However, the commission announced last summer that his release was being pushed to 2024.
Then, the commission announced last week that the agreement had been “terminated,” and that Demery would be reviewed for parole in 2023.
He’s currently in the Lincoln Correctional Center, a minimum-security prison for men.
North Carolina Department of Public Safety records show that Demery had committed four infractions in prison in 2021 – two of which happened a few weeks before the termination announcement. Three of the infractions were for substance possession, and one was for possessing “no threat” contraband. The record does not elaborate on what items he was found with.
He has had 19 infractions since 2001. Those include:
- Feb. 9, 2001 — Possessing illegal cloth/linen/sheets, theft of property, misuse of medicine
- March 25, 2002 — Fighting
- April 19, 2002 — Being in an unauthorized location
- Sept. 16, 2002 — Disobeying an order
- July 16, 2003 — Substance possession
- Aug. 6, 2003 — Disobeying an order
- Aug. 25, 2004 — Substance possession
- April 26, 2005 — Substance possession
- Dec. 7, 2005 — Disobeying an order, attempting Class A offense, possessing no threat contraband
- Jan. 2, 2006 — Substance possession
- March 31, 2014 — Disobeying an order
- April 22, 2021 — Substance possession
- April 24, 2021 — Possessing no threat contraband
- Dec. 2, 2021 — Two counts of substance possession
Green has 99 infractions, according to NCDPS records, which mainly include using profane language, fighting and disobeying orders.
News13 requested records under the Freedom of Information Act regarding Demery’s parole decision, and for his prison infractions. The request was denied. The reasons for denying parole are confidential, according to NCDPS.
A North Carolina Supreme Court decision in 1972 states that offenders’ prison records are confidential, and not subject to inspection by the public – or the inmate.
The North Carolina Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission is an independent agency that makes decisions about releasing offenders who’ve met eligibility requirements for felons sentenced after 1994, when the state enacted structured sentencing that ended parole.
The commission does not have formal hearings, and does not meet with the offenders when reviewing cases. It can meet with victims, family members and other interested persons.
While making a decision, the group looks at the circumstances around the crime, an offender’s previous criminal record, their conduct in prison, their participation in prison programs and input from families and victims. Cases are reviewed annually – except for in murder cases, which are reviewed every three years – after a felon becomes eligible for parole.
There is no appeal process for parole decisions.
