Governor commutes Julius Jones’ death sentence hours before execution

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt commuted the decease condemnation of condemned inmate Julius Jones connected Thursday, conscionable hours earlier his scheduled execution. Jones has proclaimed his innocence from decease enactment for much than 2 decades successful the 1999 sidesplitting of a suburban Oklahoma City businessman.

Stitt commuted the 41-year-old Jones’ decease condemnation to beingness imprisonment without the anticipation of parole. He had been scheduled for execution astatine 4 p.m.

“After prayerful information and reviewing materials presented by each sides of this case, I person determined to commute Julius Jones’ condemnation to beingness imprisonment without the anticipation of parole,” Stitt said successful a quality release.

A assemblage that had gathered wrong of the Oklahoma Capitol successful enactment of Jones broke retired into large applause and cheers aft the determination was announced soon aft noon Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, Jones’ attorneys had filed a last-minute exigency petition seeking a impermanent halt to his execution, saying Oklahoma’s lethal injection procedures station a “serious and important hazard of terrible suffering and symptom to prisoners” and citing past month’s execution successful which John Marion Grant convulsed and vomited arsenic helium was being enactment to death.

The state’s Pardon and Parole Board recommended successful a 3-1 ballot connected Nov. 1 that Stitt commute Jones’ condemnation to beingness successful prison, with respective members of the sheet agreeing they had doubts astir the grounds that led to Jones’ conviction.

Jones was convicted of first-degree execution and sentenced to dice for the 1999 shooting decease of Edmond businessman Paul Howell during a carjacking.

Jones’ lawsuit drew wide attraction aft it was profiled successful “The Last Defense,” a three-episode documentary produced by histrion Viola Davis that aired connected ABC successful 2018. Since then, world tv prima Kim Kardashian West and athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, person urged Stitt to commute Jones’ decease condemnation and spare his life.

Jones alleges helium was framed by the existent killer, a precocious schoolhouse person and erstwhile co-defendant who was a cardinal witnesser against him. But Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and the state’s erstwhile lawyer general, Mike Hunter, person said the grounds against Jones is overwhelming.

Information from proceedings transcripts shows that witnesses identified Jones arsenic the shooter and placed him with Howell’s stolen vehicle. Investigators besides recovered the execution limb wrapped successful a bandanna with Jones’ DNA successful an attic abstraction supra his bedroom. Jones claimed successful his commutation filing that the weapon and bandanna were planted determination by the existent killer, who had been wrong Jones’ location aft the killing.

Howell’s sister, Megan Tobey, and 2 young daughters were successful Howell’s SUV erstwhile the carjacking happened successful his parents’ driveway successful the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond. Tobey testified earlier the committee that she distinctly remembers seeing Jones sprout her brother.

“He is the aforesaid idiosyncratic contiguous arsenic helium was 22 years ago. He’s inactive getting into trouble. He’s inactive successful a gang. He’s inactive lying. And helium inactive feels nary shame, guilt oregon remorse for his action,” Tobey said. “We request Julius Jones to beryllium held responsible.”

Oklahoma ended a six-year moratorium connected executions — brought connected by concerns implicit its lethal injection methods — past month. Grant, 60, convulsed and vomited arsenic helium was being enactment to decease Oct. 28.

Grant was the archetypal idiosyncratic successful Oklahoma to beryllium executed since a bid of flawed lethal injections successful 2014 and 2015. Richard Glossip was conscionable hours distant from being executed successful September 2015 erstwhile situation officials realized they had the incorrect lethal drug. It was aboriginal revealed that the aforesaid incorrect cause had been utilized to execute an inmate successful January 2015.

The cause mix-ups followed a botched execution successful April 2014 successful which inmate Clayton Lockett struggled connected a gurney earlier dying 43 minutes into his lethal injection — and aft the state’s prisons main ordered executioners to stop.