Michael Jordan's father may have faked his own death, defense lawyers in the case have argued.
Attorneys for Daniel Andre Green, one of two men charged with killing Jordan last year, said in a motion that dire financial problems may have led the sports superstar's father to fake his own death and drop out of sight.James Jordan was "in very precarious financial position with the IRS, the State Department of Revenue, banks, credit card providers and other creditors," according to papers filed last Friday in Robeson County Superior Court.
". . . It is not unreasonable or unrealistic that Mr. Jordan may have purposely and voluntarily disappeared and that the body which was discovered is not the body of James Jordan," public defender Angus Thompson II and lawyer Woodberry Bowen claimed in one of several motions filed on behalf of Green.
Jordan was supposedly killed last summer as he napped in his car by the side of a Robeson County highway. A body found in a South Carolina creek was cremated by the time authorities suspected it was Jordan's. It later was linked to Jordan through dental records.
Investigators said the elder Jordan was the victim of an apparent robbery attempt.
Michael Jordan wouldn't talk to reporters Tuesday night in Nashville, Tenn., following a doubleheader between his baseball team, the Birmingham Barons, and the Nashville Sounds.
Green and Larry Martin Demery are charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. They are being held in the Robeson County Jail without bond.
In another motion, Green's lawyers say state officials are withholding evidence that could prove their client's innocence.
The evidence includes financial records from James Jordan's Charlotte-based company - J.V.L Enterprises Inc. - and six credit cards.
Thompson and Bowen also said state officials were withholding evidence, particularly dental records and medical reports.