Former WNBA star Maya Moore stayed away from the court for two entire seasons to help overturn the conviction of Jonathan Irons. She announced her departure in February 2019, according to The New York Times. Irons was released on July 1, 2020.
Irons was accused of Burglary of a home and an assault of the homeowner. He was sentenced to 50 years in the Jefferson City Correctional Center in Missouri in 1998. Moore and Irons met when she was 18 during a prison ministry visit. Moore’s Godparents and great uncle told her about his case. At this time, she was about a freshman at the University of Connecticut, and Irons had served over a decade of his prison sentence.
Moore stated that she got to know him over the past 13 years and developed a friendship. After she entered a huge battle to get him home and over time, it was pretty clear what the Lord was doing in their hearts. Their feelings grew for one another over a period of time. Irons wanted to marry her after a visit when they confessed their feelings. He was worried about how difficult it could be dating while in prison. Nonetheless, he proposed but asked Moore not to answer until after he was released from prison.
He served more than two decades before a judge overturned the conviction in March 2020.
After Irons became a free man, the couple appeared on “Good Morning American” on September 16, and shared the story that led to them getting married over the summer.
Written by Jessica Letcher
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Source:
The New York Times: Maya Moore, W.N.B.A. Star, Marries Man She Helped Free From Prison; Christina Morales and Kurt Streeter
MSN: WNBA Player Maya Moore Reveals She Married Wrongfully Convicted Man She Helped Free from Prison; Claudia Harmata
ESPN: Maya Moore married Jonathan Irons, man she helped free from prison, over summer
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