Stitt took no action on the commutation recommendation, saying he would wait for the results of the clemency hearing. One week after the commutation recommendation, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals scheduled Jones’ execution. Stitt commute Jones’ sentence to a parole-eligible life sentence. The court denied the motion on September 10, 2021, three days ahead of the scheduled hearing, writing that Prater was “asking this Court to provide for a remedy that simply does not exist under Oklahoma law.”Īfter the September 13 hearing, the board voted 3-1, in the same alignment as in the clemency hearing, to recommend that Gov. Prater claimed in his suit that the board members would be biased in favor of commutation because of professional ties to organizations that seek to reduce incarceration rates. Hunter approved the pre-warrant hearings, but Bickley took a leave of absence and ultimately resigned, saying he had been “threatened for doing his job.”Īfter the board scheduled Jones’ commutation hearing, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater filed an emergency motion in the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeking to recuse Luck and Doyle from participating. In response, Bickley sought an official opinion from then-Attorney General Mike Hunter on whether such hearings could be scheduled. In June 2020, according to news reports by The Frontier, board member Allen McCall threatened to pursue criminal charges against the board’s executive director, Steven Bickley, unless Bickley took steps to prevent Jones from obtaining a commutation hearing before he was the subject of a death warrant. Oklahoma officials have come under fire for what critics have called attempts to manipulate the clemency process and intimidate parole board members. The governor’s office issued a short statement saying that “Governor Stitt is aware of the Pardon and Parole Board’s vote.” The statement did not address the substance of the board’s recommendation, adding only “Our office will not offer further comment until the governor has made a final decision.”Īttempts to Undermine the Clemency Process Board member Scott Williams recused himself from the decision to avoid any appearance of conflict arising out of a professional relationship with one of Jones’ lawyers in an unrelated matter. I wasn’t involved in it in any way.”īoard members Adam Luck, Larry Morris, and Kelly Doyle voted in favor of recommending commutation, while Richard Smothermon voted against clemency. … Truth is,” Jones said, “I didn’t shoot that man. … Second, I am not the person responsible for taking Mr. Paul Howell, who I’ve heard was a caring and all-around good person. Testifying by video conference, Jones told the board: “First, I feel for the Howell family, for the tragic loss of Mr. His case has garnered worldwide attention amidst evidence of racial bias, incompetent representation, and possible innocence. Jones, who is Black, is scheduled to be executed November 18 on charges that he murdered Paul Howell, a white businessman, in 1999. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has for a second time recommended that Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt grant clemency to death-row prisoner Julius Jones (pictured during the clemency hearing).įollowing a hearing on November 1, 2021, the board, citing doubts about Jones’ guilt, voted 3-1 to ask Stitt to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.
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