WNBA Star Helps Overturn Wrongful Conviction

March 13, 2020

On Monday, a judge on Monday overturned the 1997 burglary and assault convictions of a Missouri man, Jonathon Irons, whose case has been championed by  WNBA star, Maya Moore.

The Minnesota Lynx Forward put her career on hiatus to help Jonathan Irons, 39, get released from prison. Earlier this year, Moore had announced that she would sit out her second straight season as well as the 2020 Olympics to help Irons, whom she had originally met during a visit to the Jefferson City Correction Center in 2007.

"This day has been a long time coming," Moore said following the conclusion of the hearing. "We are just so grateful and thankful to God and to everybody who has played a role in bringing justice."

Irons has served 23 years of a 50-year sentence that he was handed following a conviction of burglary and assault of a suburban St. Louis homeowner with a weapon. The man testified that Irons was the person who assaulted him in his home, but Irons' lawyers said there is no evidence (witness, fingerprints, footprints, DNA) to corroborate that their client committed the crime.

Irons, an African American man who was living in poverty, was 16 at the time of the incident but tried as an adult, and the all-white jury found him guilty.

Judge Daniel Green's ruling granted Irons' petition for a writ of habeas corpus, vacating his convictions for burglary and assault. He placed a stay on the order, allowing the state 15 days to request a review by the appellate court. If the state does not appeal, then St. Charles County has 30 days to decide if it wants to retry Irons.

"It's a very good day," said Irons' attorney Kent Gipson. "But it's not quite over yet."

Moore was surrounded by family and friends who had been by her side during this process. Following the hearing, they spoke with Irons over the phone, cheering as they heard his voice.

"You're coming home!" Moore said. "Get your meal order ready."

A four-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time college player of the year and two-time NCAA champion, Moore has already said she will sit out the upcoming WNBA season, her second straight on the sidelines.

"Basketball has not been foremost in my mind. I've been able to rest and connect with people around me, actually be in their presence after all of these years on the road," Moore told The New York Times in January. "And I've been able to be there for Jonathan."

This majority of this article was originally published at espn.com.