OKLAHOMA GOVERNOR GRANTS JULIUS JONES CLEMENCY BARELY HOURS BEFORE SCHEDULED EXECUTION
Julius Jones’ execution was halted on Thursday, less than four hours before he was scheduled to receive a lethal injection, following outcry over doubts about evidence at his murder trial nearly 20 years ago.
The clock was ticking for Jones as Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt weighed whether to spare his life. Shortly after noon Thursday, the Republican governor announced he had granted Jones clemency. Instead of allowing the execution to proceed, Stitt said he was commuting Jones’ sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“After prayerful consideration and reviewing materials presented by all sides of this case, I have determined to commute Julius Jones’ sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole,” Stitt announced.
Jones, now 41, was convicted and sentenced to die for the 1999 shooting death of Paul Howell, a businessman from an affluent Oklahoma City suburb. Jones has consistently maintained his innocence.
The case has increasingly drawn attention since it was profiled in “The Last Defense,” a three-episode documentary produced by actress Viola Davis that aired on ABC in 2018 and outlined some of his defense team’s allegations. Since then, reality television star Kim Kardashian West, who visited Jones in prison, and athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, have urged Stitt to commute Jones’ death sentence and spare his life.
Cheers and celebration broke out among Jones’ supporters in the Oklahoma State Capitol when Stitt’s decision was announced.
Source: Associated Press
