The site where James Jordan Sr. was killed

This is the location where James Jordan Sr. was shot dead.

It is situated on Kenric Road, off Highway 74, in Lumberton, North Carolina.

Jordan Sr., the father of basketball star Michael Jordan, was killed by two armed robbers while he was sleeping in his car.

Murder

On July 22, 1993, the 56-year-old attended a former co-worker's funeral in Wilmington. He was supposed to fly to Chicago the following morning to take part in a charity golf tournament sponsored by his son. After having dinner with friends, he got into his red Lexus SC400 to make the 200-mile journey back to his home in Charlotte.

Roughly 80 miles later, Jordan Sr. passed Lumberton and pulled onto a gravel road near the intersection of Highway 74 and Interstate 95, a few hundred yards west of the overpass.

By that point, it was after midnight, and he was beginning to feel tired. Jordan Sr. fell asleep with his window down and the door unlocked.

While he was sleeping, two teenagers named Daniel Andre Green (18) and Larry Martin Demery (17) were at a nearby Quality Inn, hoping to rob a tourist at gunpoint.

The childhood friends had reportedly stolen the gun from another man.

That night, they had already held up a convenience store and a couple, but they still wanted to find another target.

As they waited at the motel for someone to emerge, they noticed a red Lexus parked farther up the road.

When the pair moved in for a closer look, they saw Jordan Sr. asleep in the vehicle.

Initially, they believed the occupant was a drug dealer, as he owned a $46,000 luxury car and was wearing expensive jewelry.

After walking past the vehicle several times and urging each other on, they eventually decided to rob him.

Their plan was to hijack the car, drive it down the road, and then force him out. However, the robbery did not go as planned.

During the robbery, Green shot Jordan Sr. in the chest as soon as he woke up. According to Demery, the 56-year-old "moved around for a bit" before dying from his injury.

Following the shooting, the teenagers went through the man's belongings. When they saw their victim's driver's license, they realized they had murdered the father of NBA star Michael Jordan.

After stealing Jordan Sr.'s cellphone, watch, and jewelry, they dumped his body in Gum Swamp, over the South Carolina state line. They drove around in the Lexus for three days before abandoning it in a wooded area near Fayetteville.

Discovery

On August 3, a fisherman named Hal Locklear discovered the remains in the swamp, off Pea Bridge Road.

An autopsy determined that the victim had died from a single .38 caliber gunshot wound to the right side of his chest.

Two days later, the stripped-down vehicle was near Fayetteville.

The VIN on the Lexus was traced back to the Jordan family. Authorities confirmed Jordan Sr.'s identity using dental records and a fingerprint match on his right thumb.

When news of the murder became public, the media, including sports columnists, speculated that it was linked to his son's gambling habit. By then, Michael Jordan's love of casinos and card games had become public knowledge.

Arrests

Investigators tracked down Green and Demery shortly afterward, as the pair had used the victim's cellphone to make a series of personal calls to their friends and family.

In 1995, Demery pleaded guilty to the crime and agreed to testify against Green.

Green denied taking part in the shooting, claiming that Demery had shown up "shaken" and asked him to help cover up the murder.

One year later, Green was convicted of first-degree murder.

Both men were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996.

Green's conviction

The case remains controversial due to several developments.

Green's defense counsel has claimed that Demery admitted to lying on the stand during the initial trial because he was heavily coached by law enforcement and feared receiving the death penalty.

Demery was scheduled to be released in August 2023. However, his release date was repeatedly pushed back and ultimately revoked following consecutive behavioral infractions behind bars, including possession of a controlled substance.

In October 2024, the judge who presided over Green's murder trial petitioned the state's parole commission for his release. The judge, Gregory Weeks, claimed that a forensic analyst investigating the case failed to disclose that a blood-like substance found inside the vehicle might not have been Jordan Sr.'s blood.

Despite Weeks' petition, the parole board chose not to release Green. He must wait until 2027 before his case is heard again.