![]() ![]() It was later revealed that the same wrong drug had been used to execute an inmate in January 2015. Richard Glossip was just hours away from being executed in September 2015 when prison officials realized they had the wrong lethal drug. He was the first person in Oklahoma to be executed since a series of flawed lethal injections in 20. Grant, 60, convulsed and vomited as he was being put to death Oct. Last month, Oklahoma ended a six-year moratorium on executions brought on by concerns over its lethal injection methods. “We take comfort that his decision affirmed the guilt of Julius Jones and that he shall not be eligible to apply for, or be considered for, a commutation, pardon or parole for the remainder of his life.” ![]() “We know Governor Stitt had a difficult decision to make,” the Howell family said Thursday in a statement. Tobey testified before the board that she saw Jones shoot her brother. Howell’s sister, Megan Tobey, and two young daughters were in Howell’s SUV when the carjacking happened in his parents’ driveway. Jones claimed in his commutation filing that the gun and bandanna were planted there by the actual killer, who visited Jones’ house after the killing. Investigators also found the murder weapon wrapped in a bandanna with Jones’ DNA in an attic space above his bedroom. Information from trial transcripts shows that witnesses identified Jones as the shooter and placed him with Howell’s stolen vehicle. “We are greatly disappointed that after 22 years, four appeals, including the review of 13 appellate Judges, the work of the investigators, prosecutors, jurors, and the trial Judge have been set aside,” O’Connor said. Oklahoma’s current attorney general, John O’Connor, said Thursday that he respected Stitt’s decision to commute the sentence but that he remained convinced of Jones’ guilt. He and his family maintain he was at home the night of Howell’s murder, eating dinner and playing games with his siblings, and that the jury was never heard this information at trial.īut Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and the state’s former attorney general, Mike Hunter, have said the evidence against Jones is overwhelming. Jones alleges he was framed by the actual killer, a high school friend and co-defendant who was a key witness against him. “I’m so grateful to everyone who used their voice and helped to save Julius’s life today,” she said. She also thanked Stitt and the parole board. Kardashian West said Thursday on Twitter that she spent much of Wednesday on the phone with Jones between his visits with lawyers and his family. After that, reality television star Kim Kardashian West and other professional athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, and NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield, urged Stitt to commute Jones’ death sentence and spare his life. ![]() ![]() The profile of Jones’ case grew significantly after it was featured in “The Last Defense,” a three-episode documentary produced by Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis that aired on ABC in 2018. Prayer vigils were held at the Oklahoma state Capitol, and barricades were erected outside the governor’s mansion. Jones’ looming execution - and Stitt’s silence on his decision - prompted high school students across Oklahoma City to walk out of their classes Wednesday, and protests had been planned Thursday in Los Angeles Washington Newark, New Jersey and Saint Paul, Minnesota. “Governor Stitt took an important step today towards restoring public faith in the criminal justice system by ensuring that Oklahoma does not execute an innocent man,” Bass said in a statement. Several panel members said they doubted the evidence that led to his conviction.Īmanda Bass, a lawyer representing Jones, said the team had hoped Stitt would grant Jones a chance at parole, but they were grateful that he wasn’t being executed. Just Wednesday, in a separate death row case, the state’s Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to grant clemency, citing lethal injection protocols.Įarlier this month, that same board also recommended in a 3-1 vote that Stitt commute Jones’ sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Oklahoma’s methods for capital punishment have been a concern for years. ![]()
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