Who is Julius Jones, scheduled to be executed in Oklahoma? 5, 2018, file photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows Julius Jones.
As a result, the governor was commuting Jones’ sentence with the condition that he “shall not be eligible to apply for or be considered for a commutation, pardon, or parole for the remainder of his life,” the order says. However, in his executive order, Stitt said neither the state constitution nor state law give the board the authority to recommend that commutation, nor do they give the governor the authority to grant it. Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board had recommended Jones’ sentence be commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole in a 3-1 vote on November 1. The Republican governor came to the decision following “prayerful consideration and reviewing materials presented by all sides of this case,” he said in a statement on Twitter. They did not provide details on what was in the meal.Īn enormous sense of relief broke loose when the news arrived that Jones would not be executed, according to the attorneys. Jones had been in a holding cell outside the execution chamber for the past two weeks, the attorneys said, and he received his last meal Wednesday evening. Jones and his attorneys found out about the clemency at 12:45 p.m. CT at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Jones was scheduled to be executed at 4 p.m. Jones’ sentence will be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to an executive order filed Thursday. Kevin Stitt has granted clemency to Julius Jones, commuting Jones’ death sentence just hours before he was scheduled to be executed for a 1999 murder he says he did not commit. Members of the pardon and parole board who voted to recommend commuting Jones' sentence expressed serious doubts about his guilt in the 1999 murder of Howell.Oklahoma Gov.
A thorough review of the evidence confirms Julius Jones' guilt in this case and that the death penalty was warranted," O'Connor said.
JULIUS JONES CLEMENCY UPDATE TRIAL
"However, 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. Oklahoma Attorney General John O'Connor released a statement saying he respects the governor's authority to make the decision reached Thursday and appreciates the condition Jones never be released from prison.
JULIUS JONES CLEMENCY UPDATE FULL
While we had hoped the Governor would adopt the Board’s recommendation in full by commuting Julius’s sentence to life with the possibility of parole in light of the overwhelming evidence of Julius’s innocence, we are grateful that the Governor has prevented an irreparable mistake," Julius Jones' attorney Amanda Bass said in a statement. 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. Stitt has ordered that Jones, 41, shall not be eligible to apply for or be considered for a commutation, pardon, or parole for the remainder of his life. In it, Stitt wrote neither he nor the pardon and parole board have authority under state law to commute a death sentence to life with the possibility of parole. The executive order granting clemency was filed with the Secretary of State's office at 11:47 a.m. "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 said in a statement. The governor's office has said Stitt was in prayer about the decision the past several days. He had met with the family of murder victim Paul Howell, prosecutors, defense attorneys and clergy in the days since, but not with Jones' family or supporters. Stitt's announcement Thursday was his first public statement on the board's Nov. The board made the same recommendation after Jones' commutation hearing in September - the first for a death row inmate in Oklahoma - but Stitt said at the time a clemency hearing was the appropriate venue for such a recommendation. 1, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recommended for a second time that Stitt commute Jones' death sentence to life with the possibility of parole.
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