Maya Moore is now married to Jonathan Irons, the man she helped free from prison
A sterling career put on hold, justice finally served, and now a couple forged in unusual circumstances. Let’s look at what brought us to this point, and where Moore and Irons plan to go now.
Understanding Irons’ wrongful imprisonment.
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. Louis. Stanley Stotler, a home owner, returned to find his door open and someone inside. Stotler identified Irons as the person on scene, but there were issues with the identification that were overlooked in court. Irons insisted he wasn’t at the scene, and police had arrested the wrong man.
Evidence in the case hinged on Stotler’s testimony. There was no forensic evidence or credible witnesses who could confirm Irons as being in the home. 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. Irons insisted the confession never occurred.
Additionally, 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. Despite a shaky case from the prosecution, Irons was convicted as an adult, and sentenced to 50 years in prison.
How did Moore meet Irons?
Maya Moore’s activism in the Irons case began late into their relationship. She was first made aware of the case when she was 18, visiting family in Missouri who were involved in prison ministries. They made Moore aware of Irons’ case, and she reached out to him. The two quickly became friends, and had a strong relationship for over a decade.
In 2019 Moore stunned the basketball world by announcing she would skip the WNBA season to focus on ministry and outreach. This continued in 2020 when Moore announced that she’d once again skip the season, instead focusing on criminal justice reform.
The Irons case was the catalyst for this push. 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.
This year the pair finally got their wish. On July 2 judge Daniel Green vacated Irons’ conviction, saying there were numerous problems in the prosecution’s case, citing the suspect fingerprint report. In his decision Green wrote the case was “very weak and circumstantial at best.”
After 23 years in prison Jonathan Irons was free, and he knew who to thank for it.
“I feel like I can live life now,” Irons said. “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.”
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