8/13/2023 0 Comments Julius jones clemency hearing![]() ![]() “The Pardon and Parole Board has now twice voted in favor of commuting Julius Jones’s death sentence, acknowledging the grievous errors that led to his conviction and death sentence. The same parole board recommended commuting Jones’ sentence in September. But Jones, his attorneys and advocates – among them high-profile celebrities like Kim Kardashian West – insist he is innocent.įor nearly two decades, Jones has been on death row for a crime he did not commit, his clemency petition says, because of “fundamental breakdowns in the system tasked with deciding” his guilt, including ineffective and inexperienced defense attorneys, racial bias among his jury and alleged prosecutorial misconduct. Jones, who is Black, is scheduled to be executed November 18 for the 1999 murder of Paul Howell, whose sister and two young daughters were present when he was shot in the driveway of his parents’ home. His office said he is aware of the board’s action and there will be no further comment until his decision. Kevin Stitt gets the final say on Jones’ fate. Stitt to do the same by accepting their recommendation.” “I am grateful to the Pardon and Parole Board for again showing they are willing to listen to facts and reason, show compassion, and do what is in their power to right this terrible wrong. “My son Julius has been on death row for over twenty years for a murder he did not commit, and every day of that has been a waking nightmare for my family,” said Madeline Davis-Jones, in a statement through their attorney. The board voted 3-1 on Monday to recommend commuting Jones’ sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole, according to the release from the inmate’s attorneys. Jones pleaded his case to the board less than three weeks before he’s set to be executed. ![]() This story was originally published by Emily Farris at KJRH.The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recommended granting clemency to Julius Jones, a man sentenced to death for a murder he says he did not commit. But many are questioning the agency's execution process when John Marion Grant "convulsed" and vomited after receiving the first lethal injection drug on Oct. Stitt has since stated that he won't make a decision on commuting Jones's death sentence until after a clemency hearing is held.Īccording to the Associated Press, inmates on death row, including Jones, had their execution dates put on hold after a botched lethal injection left an inmate writing in pain on a gurney in 2014 and a mix-up in drugs in 2015.Īfter a six-year hiatus, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections announced in October they would continue with executions in the state. ![]() Attorneys for Jones filed objections saying that setting an execution date is "inappropriate" without a decision from the governor. However, despite the board's vote, Jones was set an execution date in the month of November. Approval of commutation would downgrade Jones's sentence to life in prison. In September, with three out of five votes, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted to approve a recommendation to commute the death sentence for Jones. ![]() Over the two decades since his sentencing, Jones and his supporters have long advocated that he is innocent. Jones is currently serving time and has been sentenced to death for the 1999 killing of an Edmond man, Paul Howell. "Our office will not offer further comment until the Governor has made a final decision,” the governor's office added. “Governor Stitt is aware of the Pardon and Parole Board’s vote today," Stitt's office said in a statement to KJRH on Monday. They also recommended Jones’s sentence be commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-1 to recommend clemency for Julius Jones in a hearing on Monday. ![]()
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