
Moore was resolute that she loves Irons, and one way or another the pair were going to be together. And I didn’t want her to feel trapped and I wanted her to feel open and have the ability any time if this is too much for you, go and find somebody. “I wanted to marry her but at the same time protect her because being in a relationship with a man in prison, it’s extremely difficult and painful. Telling Good Morning America that he felt it was unfair to put the pressure of a relationship on her, knowing he was behind bars. Their friendship evolved into love, but Irons decided not to pursue Moore initially. What they didn’t until today was the relationship that had been building between Moore and Irons since meeting each other. The case, the advocacy for freedom: These were the elements the public knew about.

“I’m free, I’m blessed, I just want to live my life worthy of God’s help and influence.” He added: “I thank everybody who supported me - Maya and her family.” The marriage of Maya Moore and Jonathan Irons. “I feel like I can live life now,” Irons said. In his decision Green wrote the case was “very weak and circumstantial at best.”Īfter 23 years in prison Jonathan Irons was free, and he knew who to thank for it.

On July 2 judge Daniel Green vacated Irons’ conviction, saying there were numerous problems in the prosecution’s case, citing the suspect fingerprint report. This year the pair finally got their wish. Knowing the system had convicted the wrong man, she used her fame from the court to raise awareness of her friend’s plight, working tirelessly in the public forum, and through the court system to have Irons’ case examined by a judge again. The Irons case was the catalyst for this push. This continued in 2020 when Moore announced that she’d once again skip the season, instead focusing on criminal justice reform. In 2019 Moore stunned the basketball world by announcing she would skip the WNBA season to focus on ministry and outreach. The two quickly became friends, and had a strong relationship for over a decade. They made Moore aware of Irons’ case, and she reached out to him. She was first made aware of the case when she was 18, visiting family in Missouri who were involved in prison ministries. Maya Moore’s activism in the Irons case began late into their relationship. Despite a shaky case from the prosecution, Irons was convicted as an adult, and sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Irons insisted the confession never occurred.Īdditionally, it was later revealed that a key fingerprint report, which showed prints in the home that didn’t belong to Stotler, and actively eliminated Irons were not submitted as evidence, nor were they turned over to the defense for scrutiny.

The only other evidence submitted was a police affidavit from an officer who claimed Irons confessed to the crime during an interrogation, but there was no recording of the interrogation, or any other officer present. There was no forensic evidence or credible witnesses who could confirm Irons as being in the home. Irons insisted he wasn’t at the scene, and police had arrested the wrong man.Įvidence in the case hinged on Stotler’s testimony. Stotler identified Irons as the person on scene, but there were issues with the identification that were overlooked in court. Stanley Stotler, a home owner, returned to find his door open and someone inside. In 1998, when Irons was 16-years-old, he was accused of being involved in a burglary and shooting of a man in the suburbs of St. Understanding Irons’ wrongful imprisonment. Let’s look at what brought us to this point, and where Moore and Irons plan to go now.
#Maya moore husband free#
Moore led the charge to free Irons from prison after two decades of wrongful incarceration, and during that process the two fell in love.Ī sterling career put on hold, justice finally served, and now a couple forged in unusual circumstances. WNBA superstar Maya Moore announced her marriage to Jonathan Irons on Good Morning America Wednesday, but this is anything but a typical athlete wedding.
