Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt commuted the death sentence of condemned inmate Julius Jones on Thursday, the day of his scheduled execution.
Jones has proclaimed his innocence from death row for more than two decades in the 1999 killing of a suburban Oklahoma City businessman.
Stitt commuted Jones’ death sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He had been scheduled for execution on Thursday.
The state’s Pardon and Parole Board recommended in a 3-1 vote on November 1 that Stitt commute Jones’ sentence to life in prison, with several members of the panel agreeing they had doubts about the evidence that led to Jones’ conviction.
Earlier on Thursday, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield became the latest celebrity to weigh in on the fate of Jones as police set up barriers around the governor's mansion ahead of today's previously scheduled execution.
He has, however, met with Jones's attorneys and Howell's family.
The state's Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-1 on November 1 to recommend Stitt grant clemency to Jones and commute his sentence to life in prison, but so far the governor has not been swayed.
On Tuesday, Oklahoma City police officers were filmed placing water-filled orange and white barriers around the Governor's Mansion on NE 23rd Street.
Oklahoma City Police said in a tweet they were asked by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to erect the barriers 'to provide a safe place for those who show up for peaceful gatherings.'
Madeline Davis-Jones, Jones's mother, told reporters and protestors on Wednesday night that she did not 'want to go to a lynching,' as she refuses to attend her son's scheduled execution.
Jones was convicted of first-degree murder in 2002 of killing Howell during a 1999 carjacking in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond.
During Jones' trial in 2002, prosecutors said that he and Christopher Jordan followed Howell around in an attempt to rob him of his 1997 GMC Suburban.
Howell's sister Megan Tobey said she had gone out with Paul and his two daughters to buy school supplies and stop for ice cream the night of the murder, according to a September interview with KFOR - the first sit-down interview the family has ever given.
Rachel Howell, who was nine at the time of the killing, said she remembers waving at Jones as he approached the driver's side of the SUV and shot her dad in the head without saying a word.
'When we pulled up in the driveway and stopped, I looked over and saw Julius Jones walking up to the car,' Rachel Howell said.
However, Jones claims he was framed by the actual killer, Jordan, a high school friend and co-defendant who testified against Jones and was released from prison after 15 years.
More than 6.4 million people have signed a petition on Change.org asking Stitt to reconsider, and the GOP governor's Democratic challenger, Joy Hoffmeister, said in his place, she would grant clemency.
Protesters have flocked to the mansion for weeks to demand Jones who has maintained his innocence - blaming Jordan - over the last two decades, be spared.
The case received national attention after Viola Davis produced a 2018 documentary called The Last Defense, which was broadcast in 2018 on ABC. On Wednesday, Davis posted a plea on her Instagram page, asking Stitt to save Jones.
Rallies in support of Jones were expected Wednesday in major U.S. cities, including Oklahoma City, New York, Washington and Los Angeles.
Kardashian, who has emerged as a criminal justice reform advocate in recent years, repeatedly has called on Stitt to spare Jones' life and has stayed in touch with the death row inmate's family.
Jones' sister, Antoinette Jones, told TMZ that Kardashian used her fame and massive online following to shine a spotlight on her brother's case.
'She's always been available to help and she's mobilized so many people to come out and post on their social media,' Antoinette told the outlet. 'She's a real one... she truly does care.'
Celebrities like Davis, Mandy Patinkin and NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, all expressed support for the Justice for Julius movement.
Spiritual leaders from around the US have rallied to the cause, and several of them on Tuesday accompanied Antoinette Jones as she sought in vain to meet with Stitt.
The Rev. Marvin L. Morgan, of Charlottesville, Virginia, submitted a letter to the governor's staff asking to be executed in place of Jones if the inmate is denied clemency, reported The Oklahoman.
'I am here in Oklahoma today because I've made an offer to Gov. Stitt that if another Black man is going to be killed under the guise of capital punishment, that it could be any Black man,' Rev Morgan said. 'So I would like the governor to allow me to lie on that table and to die in place of Julius Jones.'
The governor has met with the Howell family who maintains that Jones is the man responsible for the murder.
'We feel confident Governor Stitt sees past Jones propaganda and sees who Julius Jones really is,' said Paul Howell's brother Brian after Jones' clemency hearing. 'The facts are and always overwhelming pointed toward his guilt.'
Jones' mother, Madeline Davis-Jones, alongside other supporters, visited the state Capitol Monday hoping to meet the governor and plead for clemency.
But Stitt's Chief of Communications Charlie Hannema said the governor wasn't able to meet and requested Davis-Jones, who had a handwritten letter for Stitt, fill out a form for visitors.
Hannema told the family: 'We've received your letter, the governor is going to take [the letter] into consideration. We got a process, not gonna be meeting.'
A person with the Jones family then asked: 'Are you saying that he's refusing to meet?'
The spokesperson then left and closed the door.
Attorneys for Jones, however, have said they met with Stitt last week.
'The governor takes his role in this process seriously and is carefully considering the Pardon and Parole Board's recommendation as he does in all cases,' Hannema said in an earlier statement.
Following the governor's refusal to meet with the family, Kardashian tweeted: 'This is the cold machinery of the Death penalty.
'An innocent man could be put be put to death. My heart breaks for Julius and so many others who have suffered such tragic miscarriage of justice.
'We are all anxiously awaiting a decision from Governor Stitt. He can choose to accept the recommendation for a second time from the Parole Board to grant Julius clemency/life with the possibility of parole or have him executed Thursday the 18th.
'Julius, his family and everyone on his team are still hopeful Stitt will do the right thing.'
Jones' mother, who has now received an invite to her son's execution, said that she and her family will keep praying after Stitt refused to meet them.
Davis-Jones told KOCO News: 'God brought my beautiful, wonderful son here and it's his responsibility to take my son. And I'm believing in God and trusting in God.'
A family friend of Jones, Jimmy Lawson, said they are disappointed they didn't get to meet with Stitt - but said they will come up with a Plan B.
Lawson told Oklahoma News 4: 'I think Mama Jones wanted an opportunity to let the governor know that her son is innocent and provide some details that he had never heard before.
'We'll take this opportunity to reconvene with our team and then we'll come up with our Plan B.'
State and county prosecutors have said the evidence against Jones is overwhelming.
Trial transcripts show witnesses identified Jones as the shooter and placed him with Howell's stolen vehicle. Investigators also found the murder weapon and a bandana with Jones' DNA in an attic space above his bedroom.
Jones claims the murder weapon was placed there by the actual killer, who visited Jones' house after Howell was shot.
Kardashian detailed what Jones is facing ahead of his slated execution on Thursday.
'I want to share with you what the process of the execution is like in Oklahoma,' Kardashian wrote. '#JuliusJones has been on death watch for more than 2 weeks. In preparation for his execution on Nov. 18, he is alone in his prison cell just feet away from the executioner's chamber.'
Kardashian noted how Jones 'has been strip searched, x-rayed, and issued a new set of clothes, shoes, mattress & bedding,' and 'is being closely monitored by staff,' as 'every meal he has and every liquid he consumes is logged.'
Kardashian said that Jones has 'designated who will receive his remains' and his 'personal property' following his execution, adding that his 'organs are not eligible for donation' under state law.
Kardashian said that officials in Oklahoma are 'so bent on vengeance that they will make every effort to ensure they get to kill Julius - including reviving him if he happens to go into cardiac arrest prior to the execution.'
She noted that at 9 p.m. 'the day before his execution,' Jones' 'phone privileges will be terminated and he will receive his last meal.
'He will be checked on every 15 minutes for the last four hours of his life. Then, he will be put to death.'
Homeland star Mandy Patinkin also has taken to social media, urging followers to contact the governor's office and ask that he follow the Parole Board's recommendation to grant Jones clemency.
In addition to Kardashian, notable NBA players such as Russell Westbrook, Trae Young and Blake Griffin have urged officials to commute the sentence in lieu of execution.
Oklahoma ended a six-year moratorium on executions - brought on by concerns over its methods - last month. John Marion Grant, 60, convulsed and vomited as he was being put to death October 28.
It's not clear yet why Grant vomited, but medical experts agreed that the dosage of the sedative midazolam that Oklahoma and other states use in their execution protocols is massive compared with what's standard in surgeries.
Grant was the first person in Oklahoma to be executed since a series of flawed lethal injections in 2014 and 2015.
Kardashian previously worked with federal authorities on the release of Alice Marie Johnson, who was pardoned from a life sentence in 2018 stemming from a 1996 conviction on nonviolent drug charges.
Oklahoma Gov. 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.
Jones' sentence will be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the governor said in an executive order issued Thursday.
Julius Jones is scheduled to be executed today at 4 p.m. CT unless Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt grants him clemency.
Even as the clock is winding down, the Republican governor has still not said whether he will accept a recommendation from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, which voted 3-1 on November 1 to commute Jones' sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
"This governor has nothing to pray about, he has a decision to make," said Cece Jones-Davis, director for the Justice for Julius campaign, in reference to reports the governor had been in "deep prayer" about the decision.
"Governor, you still have a chance, you still have time," she said. "You have time Gov. Stitt to get this right."
The 11th-hour decision comes after years of protest over Jones' death sentence.
Jones' mother expressed concern Wednesday night about the governor's inaction so far. "I really don't know what to say to him because he has assured us he would make the decision swift," Madeline Davis-Jones told CNN's Don Lemon. "And if this is swift, we're in trouble again."
Jones has been on death row for nearly 20 years in connection with the 1999 murder of Paul Howell during a carjacking. Jones says he's innocent, as do his family, attorneys and supporters. Howell's family remains convinced of Jones' guilt.
Jones' clemency petition says he's been on death row 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.
"Our hope is that the Governor will ensure that this execution does not go forward given the many concerns about the execution process and Mr. Jones's case," his attorney, Amanda Bass, said Thursday in a statement.
Supporters protest at governor's mansion
Jones' case has attracted widespread attention in recent years, in part due to the ABC documentary series "The Last Defense," which spotlighted his case in 2018. And more than 6 million people have signed an online Change.org Justice for Julius petition asking Stitt to intervene and prevent his execution.
That support has only ramped up with the impending execution date. Supporters have gathered near the governor's mansion in Oklahoma City over the past few nights, and some even set up tents overnight, CNN affiliate KOCO reported.
At a news conference Wednesday evening, Jones' mother described her son's scheduled execution as a lynching.
"If you think Julius is guilty, give him a fair trial. Do it over again, do it right!" Davis-Jones said as the crowd erupted in applause. "If my child is executed tomorrow or any day, it should be without a doubt. Not even a little bit of doubt."
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian -- who has long advocated against Jones' death sentence -- actors Kerry Washington and Mandy Patinkin, and even professional athletes like Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield have been using their voices in calling for the governor to spare Jones.
"It's a shame it's gotten this far," Mayfield told reporters Wednesday as he teared up. Mayfield played football at the University of Oklahoma. "Hopefully God can intervene and handle it correctly and do the things He needs to do."
Support for Jones has also gone international, with a representative from the European Union weighing in via a letter to Stitt.
"We respectfully urge you to exercise all powers vested in your office to grant clemency to Mr. Julius Jones," wrote Stavros Lambrinidis, the EU Ambassador to the US.
Victim's daughter says the family has been 're-victimized'
Howell was killed in a carjacking the night of July 28, 1999. Around 9:30 p.m., Howell, his adult sister and his daughters pulled into his parents' driveway in his 1997 Suburban, according to court documents. Howell's sister told his daughters to gather their belongings and was exiting the vehicle when she heard a gunshot, court documents say.
Howell's sister glanced back, court documents say, and saw a Black man who she said was wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, a black cap and a red bandana over his face. The shooter fired again as Howell's sister and his daughters ran to the house, documents say. Howell died about 1:45 the next morning.
Jones, 19 at the time, was arrested on July 31, the day after authorities found the murder weapon wrapped in a red bandana 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, per 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 tough on our family," she said, "as we have continued to be re-victimized by Julius Jones when we have done absolutely nothing wrong."
Davis-Jones, Julius Jones' mother, has said the last two decades have been "a waking nightmare for my family," but she said she will keep the Howell family in her prayers.
"I know what it is like to have a loved one ripped away from you and to constantly relive that loss. I hope and pray they find healing and peace," Davis-Jones said.
There are conflicting stories about the evidence in Jones' case
The case has been marked by stark conflicts over the evidence against Jones, as well as questions about the reliability of the testimony of his co-defendant.
First, there's the alibi. Jones' family said he was home the night of the murder, according to the clemency petition.
Then-Attorney General Mike Hunter's office said the alibi was thoroughly investigated and found not to be credible, adding the claim was explored in an evidentiary hearing ordered by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.
Jones himself was inconsistent about where he was the night of the murder, the AG's office said, adding two of Jones' trial attorneys testified he told them his family was mistaken and he was not home when Howell was killed.
Another point of contention has been over a red bandana, which was found inside Jones' family home with the murder weapon wrapped in it.
The clemency petition cites several individuals who said his co-defendant, Christopher Jordan, admitted to killing Howell and hiding the weapon and bandana inside Jones' house.
The petition also said Jordan spent the night at the home a day after the murder.
Jordan was released from prison in 2014, according to Jones' clemency petition. An attorney for Jordan, Billy Bock, told ABC News in September that "Chris Jordan maintains his position that his role in the death of Paul Howell was as an accomplice to Julius Jones. Mr. Jordan testified truthfully in the jury trial of Mr. Jones and denies 'confessing' to anyone."
The AG's office pointed to DNA testing done at the defense's request on the red bandana. The results, the office said in a document released in July 2020, indicated the major component of the DNA profile matched Jones and excluded Jordan.
In response, Jones' team said the DNA tests results were limited, and Jordan's DNA could not be excluded.
The jury was also not shown a photo of Jones, taken days before Howell's killing, that the petition says would have shown he did not match the shooter's description. Several jurors have come forward and indicated this evidence might have changed the outcome of the case.
Then there's the issue of alleged racial bias in the case. According to the petition, one juror said they heard another juror refer to Jones as the n-word. Additionally, when Jones was arrested, a police officer also called him the n-word, the petition alleges.
The AG's office contests claims of racial bias, noting the juror who claimed to have heard another use the n-word did not specifically raise the issue during Jones' trial. She had brought to the court's attention another comment made by a juror, but per the AG's office, an appellate found it unlikely the juror would fail to mention the racial epithet when she'd reported the other comment.
Jones and his supporters, however, have similarly repudiated these arguments.
Source:
CNN, Amir Vera and Dakin Andone, November 18, 2021
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt reduces Julius Jones’ sentence to life in prison, no parole
Following a recommendation from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, Stitt on Thursday granted clemency to Jones, reducing the inmate's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“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.
As a condition of granting clemency, Stitt ordered that Jones shall never be eligible to apply for or be considered for a commutation, pardon, or parole for the rest of his life.
Stitt's decision veers from the Pardon and Parole Board's recommendation to reduce Jones' sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Under that scenario, Jones would have immediately been eligible for parole on his murder conviction.
The governor's decision means Jones' execution, set for Thursday, is cancelled. Stitt announced his decision mere hours before the scheduled start of the execution.
Stitt's decision to grant clemency marks a partial win for a diverse group of Jones activists and supporters who have proclaimed the inmate was wrongfully convicted in the murder of an Edmond man. Jones has spent nearly 20 years on death row.
However, those who have proclaimed Jones is innocent are unlikely to be entirely satisfied with Stitt's decision to keep him locked behind bars.
Jones' attorney praised the governor for blocking the execution, but said she had hoped Stitt would have granted the possibility of parole.
“Governor 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," said attorney Amanda Bass. "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.”
Jones was set to be executed for the 1999 fatal shooting of Edmond insurance executive Paul Howell during a carjacking.
Jurors chose the death penalty as punishment at a 2002 trial.
Jones has maintained he is innocent, claiming his co-defendant shot and killed Howell and pinned the slaying on him.
A growing number of supporters have also proclaimed Jones' innocence and begged Stitt to grant clemency. Millions signed a petition in support of Jones after ABC in 2018 aired a documentary about his innocence claims.
Prosecutors have disputed Jones' claims of innocence, saying the trial showed clear evidence of his guilt and the campaign to free him is based on misinformation.
The Pardon and Parole Board this month recommended Jones' life be spared. In a 3-1 vote, the board recommended Jones' sentence be reduced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Stitt had the option to adopt, modify or reject the parole board's recommendation. He also could have issued an execution stay that would have given him more time to consider the recommendation.
2 of the 3 parole board members Stitt has appointed recommended the governor grant Jones clemency. The 3rd, Scott Williams recused himself from the vote.
Stitt previously told reporters he would meet with members of the Howell family and prosecutors and defense attorneys on the case before making a decision.
He also said he would carefully consider the board's recommendation.
"It certainly is something that's weighing on me, and it's something that I prayerfully consider," Stitt said in September, after the board recommended Jones' sentence be commuted. "I have to faithfully execute my job as governor, and this is something that I don't take lightly."
It is rare for an Oklahoma governor to grant clemency, having only been approved 4 times in the state's history.
Former Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat, granted clemency to 3 death row inmates. Former Gov. Frank Keating granted clemency just once.
Dating back to when Keating was in office, Oklahoma governors have denied clemency at least 9 times.
Oklahoma has one of the nation's busiest death chambers.
Before Stitt, the state carried out more than 100 executions under the previous 3 governors' combined 24 years in office.
Source: oklahoman.com, Staff, November 18, 2021
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