Brandon Jordan
Wrongfully convicted of murder
Brandon Jordan, convicted for a murder he did not commit, was released on December 6, 2013, with the help of the Arizona Justice Project. Brandon’s case had facts that did not add up. Brandon was convicted in 2006 for murder and aggravated assault. The incident occurred two years prior (January 22, 2004) and went unsolved for almost a year before he was arrested. One major problem with the State’s version of events, according to police reports, was that the gun allegedly used in the shooting was in police custody 26 minutes before the shooting occurred.
This problem apparently went unnoticed by detectives and attorneys (prosecution and defense) and, after being passed from attorney to attorney, Jordan’s fourth attorney convinced him to accept a plea offer. Brandon did so but regretted it and wrote a letter to the judge asking to withdraw from the plea. The judge denied his request. Brandon was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the crime.
In 2011, Brandon contacted the Arizona Justice Project and upon review of the facts and timeline of events, the Project accepted Brandon’s case. The Project filed a Petition for Post-Conviction Relief and ultimately came to a resolution of the case with the Pinal County Attorney. Jordan was released from prison December 6, 2013, after spending 8 years and 5 months incarcerated for a crime he did not commit.