Oklahoma Governor Grants Clemency to Convict on Execution Day

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt granted Julius Jones clemency, converting Jones’ death sentence hours before his scheduled execution for a 1999 murder he says he did not commit.

Jones’ sentence will be converted to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to an executive order signed on Thursday. Jones’ execution was scheduled for 4 pm CT (7 pm GMT).

The governor made the decision after “fervent consideration and review of the materials presented by all sides of this case,” he said in a Twitter statement.

The Pardon and Parole Board of Oklahoma recommended that Jones’ sentence be converted to life in prison with the possibility of parole in a 3-1 vote on November 1st.

However, in his executive order, Sitt said neither the constitution nor state law give the board the authority to recommend such a switch, nor do they give the governor the authority to grant it. As a result, the government converted Jones’ sentence on the condition that he “will not be eligible to apply for or be considered for conversion of sentence, pardon or parole for the rest of his life,” the order says.

In her own statement, Jones’ attorney Amanda Bass called the governor’s decision “an important step in restoring public faith in the criminal justice system, ensuring that Oklahoma does not execute an innocent man.” But she acknowledged that Jones’ family and supporters hoped he could get parole.

“While we expected the Governor to adopt the Council’s recommendation in its entirety, converting Julius’s sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole in light of the overwhelming evidence of Julius’ innocence,” said Bass, “we are grateful that the Governor has prevented an irreparable error.”

Thursday’s decision comes after years of protest over Jones’ death sentence. He had been convicted of the murder of Paul Howell in 1999 during a car theft. Jones has been on death row for nearly 20 years, but he, his family, lawyers and advocates say he is innocent.

Howell’s family remains convinced of his guilt. THE CNN got in touch with them to comment.

Jones’ petition for clemency says he is on death row because of “fundamental flaws in the system in charge of deciding” his guilt, including ineffective and inexperienced defense attorneys, racial prejudice among his jury and alleged misconduct by the prosecutor’s office.

Supporters protest at governor’s mansion

Jones’ case has attracted a lot of attention in recent years, in part due to the ABC documentary series “The Last Defense,” which highlighted his case in 2018. And more than 6 million people have signed an online petition Change.org Justice for Julius asking Stitt to intervene and stop his execution.

This support only increased with the impending execution date. Supporters have gathered near the governor’s mansion in Oklahoma City in recent nights, and some have even pitched tents overnight, the affiliate reported. CNN KOCO.

At a Wednesday night press conference, Jones’ mother described her son’s scheduled execution as a lynching.

“If you think Julius is guilty, give him a fair trial. Do it all over again, do it right!” Davis-Jones said as the crowd erupted in applause. “Whether my son is executed tomorrow or any day, there will be no doubt. Not a bit of doubt.”

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian — who has long defended against Jones’ death sentence — actors Kerry Washington and Mandy Patinkin, and even professional athletes like Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, have used their voices to call on the governor spare Jones.

“It’s a shame it’s come this far,” Mayfield told reporters on Wednesday as she cried. Mayfield played football at the University of Oklahoma. “Hopefully, God can step in and handle it right and do the things He needs to do.”

Jones’ support also became international, with a European Union representative participating through a letter to Stitt.

“We respectfully urge you to exercise all powers vested in your office to bestow clemency on Mr. Julius Jones,” wrote Stavros Lambrinidis, EU Ambassador to the United States.

Victim’s family says family was “victimized again”

Howell was killed in a car theft on the night of July 28, 1999. At around 9:30 pm, Howell, his sister and their daughters pulled into their parents’ garage in their 1997 Suburban, according to court documents. Howell’s sister told the daughters to gather their belongings and was getting out of the vehicle when she heard a shot, court documents say.

Howell’s sister looked back, the court documents say, and saw a black man who she said was wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, a black cap and a red bandanna over his face. The sniper fired again when Howell’s sister and her daughters ran into the house, the documents say. Howell died around 1:45 the next morning.

Jones, then 19, was arrested on July 31, the day after authorities found the murder weapon wrapped in a red bandanna inside his family’s home.

He was tried alongside a co-defendant, Christopher Jordan, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to first degree murder and conspiracy to commit a robbery, according to online court records. Jordan testified against Jones, who was convicted and sentenced to death.

Howell’s daughter Rachel Howell and her family believe Jones is guilty of her father’s murder. She said in a statement to CNN that Jones, his family and the defense team “want people to believe that Julius Jones is completely innocent despite the overwhelming amount of evidence against him.”

“Overall this has been extremely difficult for our family,” she said, “as we continue to be victimized again by Julius Jones when we have done absolutely nothing wrong.”

Davis-Jones, the mother of Julius Jones, said the last two decades have been “a big nightmare for my family,” but she said she will keep the Howell family in her prayers.

“I know what it’s like to have a loved one ripped from you and constantly relive that loss. I hope and pray that they find healing and peace,” said Davis-Jones.

There are conflicting stories about the evidence in the Jones case

The case was marred by violent clashes over the evidence against Jones, as well as questions over the reliability of his co-defendant’s testimony.

First, there is the alibi. THE

Jones’ family said he was at home the night of the murder, according to the leniency petition.

The office of then Attorney General Mike Hunter said the alibi was thoroughly investigated and found unbelievable, adding that the complaint was explored in an evidentiary hearing ordered by the Oklahoma Criminal Appeals Court.

Jones himself was inconsistent about where he was on the night of the murder, the attorney general’s office said, adding that two of Jones’ attorneys testified that he said his family was wrong and that he was not at home when Howell was killed.

Another sticking point is over a red bandanna, which was found inside the Jones family home with the murder weapon wrapped in it.

The leniency petition cites several individuals who said that their co-defendant, Christopher Jordan, admitted to killing Howell and hiding the gun and bandanna inside Jones’ home.

The petition also said that Jordan spent the night at the house the day after the murder.

Jordan was released from prison in 2014, according to Jones’ leniency petition. A lawyer for Jordan, Billy Bock, told ABC News in September that “Chris Jordan maintains his position that his role in Paul Howell’s death was as an accomplice to Julius Jones. Mr. Jordan testified honestly at Mr. Jones’ jury trial and denies ‘confessing’ to anyone.”

The attorney general’s office pointed to the DNA test done at the defense’s request on the red bandanna. The results, the office said in a document released in July 2020, indicated that the main component of the DNA profile corresponded to Jones and excluded Jordan.

In response, Jones’ team said that the DNA test results were limited and that Jordan’s DNA could not be excluded.

Nor was the jury shown a photo of Jones, taken days before Howell’s murder, which the petition says showed he didn’t match the sniper’s description. Several jurors came forward and indicated that this evidence may have changed the outcome of the case.

Then there is the issue of alleged racial prejudice in the case. According to the petition, one juror said he heard another juror refer to Jones as a racist word. Furthermore, when Jones was arrested, a police officer also cursed him, the petition alleges.

The Attorney General’s office disputes allegations of racial prejudice, noting that the juror who said he heard another use of the racist word did not specifically raise the issue during Jones’ trial. She drew the court’s attention to another comment made by a juror, but according to the Attorney General’s office, one appellee thought it unlikely that the juror failed to mention the racial epithet when she reported the other comment.

Jones and his supporters, however, similarly repudiated these arguments.

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