REVEALED: WNBA star Maya Moore, 31, married Jonathan Irons, the 40-year-old she helped free from prison in July, 23 years after he was wrongfully convicted of a non-lethal shooting
WNBA star Maya Moore has revealed that she is now married to Jonathan Irons, the man she helped free from prison when his wrongful conviction from 23 years ago was overturned.
Moore announced Wednesday on 'Good Morning America' with Irons by her side that the couple married earlier this summer.
'We wanted to announce today that we are super excited to continue the work that we've been doing together, but doing it as a married couple,' Moore said. 'We're excited to share this new chapter of life together.'
Moore was present when Irons was released from prison on July 1.
Irons, 40, had served 21 years of a 50-year prison sentence after he was convicted in 1998 of breaking into a Missouri home and shooting a homeowner. A judge ruled in March that prosecutors suppressed critical fingerprint evidence that strengthened Irons' defense.
The 31-year-old Moore left the WNBA to dedicate her time to freeing Irons. Moore said she's keeping her basketball career on hold for now.
'I am trying to really just breathe from this long, long battle,' she said. 'There's a lot of unknowns for a lot of us right now. So I'm still in that camp.'
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WNBA star Maya Moore has revealed that she is now married to Jonathan Irons, the man she helped free from prison when his wrongful conviction from 23 years ago was overturned
Irons and Moore pictured at their wedding earlier this summer (Photographer: Kayla Johnson)
WNBA star Maya Moore reveals she has married Jonathan Irons, the man she helped free from wrongful conviction. Congratulations to the happy couple! https://t.co/XQgDH7hJAY pic.twitter.com/oattxmhhzO
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 16, 2020
WNBA star Maya Moore reveals she has married Jonathan Irons, the man she helped free from wrongful conviction. Congratulations to the happy couple! https://t.co/XQgDH7hJAY pic.twitter.com/oattxmhhzO
Irons is pictured on his wedding day earlier this summer. Irons shows his new ring
Moore posted video on Instagram in July, showing Irons walking out of the Jefferson City, Missouri prison, where he was greeted by the former University of Connecticut star, her family, and other supporters, many of whom were weeping with joy.
'I feel like I can live life now,' Irons said on the video. 'I'm free, I'm blessed, I just want to live my life worthy of God's help and influence.'
Moore dropped to her knees and appeared to be praying in the video before she and her family embraced the overwhelmed Irons, whom they met through a prison ministry program, according to the New York Times.
'I'd been standing, and we'd been standing, for so long .... and it was an unplanned moment where I just felt relief,' Moore told ABC's Good Morning America on Thursday. 'It was kind of a worshipful moment, just dropping to my knees and just being so thankful that we made it.'
WNBA star Maya Moore had been advocating for Jonathan Irons to be released from a Missouri prison for over a decade, but decided to take a year off from basketball sho she could focus entirely on overturning his 1998 burglary and assault convictions
WNBA star Maya Moore (far left, near right) was on hand to see Jonathan Irons (near left, far right) released from a Missouri prison 21 years after he was wrongfully convicted for burglary and assault, and 16 months after she put her basketball career on hold to push the courts to overturn his conviction. Moore, 31, posted video on Instagram Wednesday, showing the 40-year-old Moore walking out of the Jefferson City, Missouri prison, where he was greeted by the former University of Connecticut star, her family, and other supporters
Moore dropped to her knees and appeared to be praying in the video before she and her family embraced the overwhelmed Irons, whom they met through a prison ministry program
Speaking with ABC's Good morning America in July, Irons said he spent his first free night in 21 years eating pizza with friends and family
Irons was 18 in 1998 when he was sentence to 50 years in prison for the non-fatal shooting of Stanley Stotler, a 38-year-old St. Louis-area homeowner. Stotler testified that it was Irons who had shot him in 1997, but there was no other evidence linking the teenager to the crime.
Irons denied being present at the shooting.
Despite being 16 at the time of the shooting, Irons was still tried as an adult before being convicted by an all-white jury.
According to Irons's attorney Kent Gipson, Moore's contributions were an essential part of the effort to overturn the two convictions.
'Until Maya Moore got involved, just really didn't have the resources to either hire counsel or hire investigators,' Gipson told ESPN. 'It's big to sacrifice a year of your career in your prime to do that.'
A native of Jefferson City, Moore became involved with the case during her time at UConn, when she visited the correctional center with her godfather, Reggie Williams, who had been investigating the crime in his spare time.
In March, Cole County Judge Dan Green overturned the conviction, citing several issues with the investigations. Green specifically referenced a finger print report that was never turned over to Irons's defense team. According to multiple reports, the fingerprint in questioned did not belong to Irons or Stotler, who lived alone.
It was Williams who had discovered the fingerprint evidence in the case files.
As Green explained in his decision, that report would have given Irons's attorneys 'unassailable forensic evidence' to support his innocence.
With Moore and her family on hand, Green granted the petition for a writ of habeas corpus, while ordering a 15-day stay to give an appellate court a chance to review the case.
The Missouri attorney general's office submitted two appeals, both of which were denied by the state Supreme Court, and the St. Charles County lead prosector Tim Lohmar ultimately decided to retire the case, paving the way for Irons's release.
'This day has been a long time coming,' Moore said in March. 'We are just so grateful and thankful to God and to everybody who has played a role in bringing justice.'
While Moore's latest mission may have been a success, she is not in a rush to return to basketball.
Jefferson City, Missouri native and WNBA star Maya Moore, right, calls Jonathan Irons as supporters react Monday, March 9, 2020, in Jefferson City after Cole County Judge Dan Green overturned Irons' convictions in a 1997 burglary and assault case. Moore, a family friend, had supported Irons, sharing his story on a national basis
In January, before the coronavirus outbreak, Moore said she planned to sit out the 2020 season and the Tokyo Olympics to continue advocating for social justice. the Olympics and WNBA season were both ultimately postponed, with the latter being moved to a bubble at IMG Academy in Florida.
'My decision to take another year was bigger than this case,' she told the Associated Press in March. 'But obviously this case was in the forefront of my mind. I'm looking forward when this is done to finally getting some rest and time with my family.'
Speaking with ABC's Good morning America in July, Irons said he spent his first free night in 21 years eating pizza with friends and family. Irons also described Stotler as a 'victim,' saying that he does not blame him for his prison sentence.
In fact, Irons explained, Stotler was victimized twice.
'Once by whoever broke into his house and shot him,' Irons said. 'And two, by whoever is responsible for manipulating him and coaching him to identify me.
'I believe at some point, if not already, maybe later on, he's going to be hit with a lot of guilt. And I want to let him know, that he has a safe place to rest. I do forgive him. I don't blame him or fault him in any way.'
Moore is a four-time WNBA champion and former league MVP who also has six All-Star appearances and the 2011 Rookie of the Year award to her name. She also won two national titles while playing for the Connecticut Huskies.
Moore is a four-time WNBA champion and former league MVP who also has six All-Star appearances and the 2011 Rookie of the Year award to her name