Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt Commutes Sentence of Death Row Prisoner Julius Jones
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday commuted the death sentence of Julius Jones to life in prison without the possibility of parole amid demonstrations and a last-minute court appeal that contended the state’s execution process amounted to “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Stitt’s notice came after Jones’ supporters staged days of demonstrations in advance of his scheduled execution, set to take place at 5 p.m. ET Thursday. Jones, 41, has advocated his innocence for more than two decades in the 1999 slaying of Paul Howell, a businessperson in the affluent Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond.
“After prayerful consideration and reviewing materials presented by all sides of this case, I have determined to commute Julius Jones’ sentence to life capturing without the possibility of parole,” Stitt said in a statement.
Attorneys for Jones filed a motion Thursday pursuing an injunction to block his execution based on “important new evidence” from the Oct. 28 botched execution of inmate John Grant, who vomited and convulsed repeatedly before being declared dead. The motion contended that Grant’s execution provides “compelling evidence” that the execution process in Oklahoma and the use of midazolam, a controversial drug, “pose a serious and substantial risk of suffering and pain to prisoners.”
