He and his family maintain he was at home the night of Howell’s murder, eating dinner and playing games with his siblings, and that the jury was never heard this information at trial.īut Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and the state’s former attorney general, Mike Hunter, have said the evidence against Jones is overwhelming. Jones alleges he was framed by the actual killer, a high school friend and co-defendant who was a key witness against him. “I’m so grateful to everyone who used their voice and helped to save Julius’s life today,” she said. She also thanked Stitt and the parole board. Kardashian West said Thursday on Twitter that she spent much of Wednesday on the phone with Jones between his visits with lawyers and his family.
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After that, reality television star Kim Kardashian West and other professional athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, and NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield, urged Stitt to commute Jones’ death sentence and spare his life. The profile of Jones’ case grew significantly after it was featured in “The Last Defense,” a three-episode documentary produced by Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis that aired on ABC in 2018. Prayer vigils were held at the Oklahoma state Capitol, and barricades were erected outside the governor’s mansion.
Jones’ looming execution - and Stitt’s silence on his decision - prompted high school students across Oklahoma City to walk out of their classes Wednesday, and protests had been planned Thursday in Los Angeles Washington Newark, New Jersey and Saint Paul, Minnesota. “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,” Bass said in a statement. Several panel members said they doubted the evidence that led to his conviction.Īmanda Bass, a lawyer representing Jones, said the team had hoped Stitt would grant Jones a chance at parole, but they were grateful that he wasn’t being executed.
Just Wednesday, in a separate death row case, the state’s Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to grant clemency, citing lethal injection protocols.Įarlier this month, that same board also recommended in a 3-1 vote that Stitt commute Jones’ sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole. My heart breaks for Julius and so many others who have suffered from such tragic miscarriage of justice.Oklahoma’s methods for capital punishment have been a concern for years. In just over two weeks, an innocent man could be put to death. "This is the cold machinery of the Death Penalty in America. Then, he will be put to death." Finally, she closed her thread with an impactful last tweet that read: He will be checked on every 15 minutes for the last four hours of his life. At 9pm the day before his execution, Julius Jones phone privileges will be terminated and he will receive his last meal. Next week, they will restrict access to the unit where Julius is housed and they will perform equipment checks. On Thursday, the Inspector General will obtain the body bag and tag from the medical examiner's office and all witnesses for the execution will be selected. The staff who will administer his execution are being selected and trained to put him to his death. Like all incarcerated people put to death by the Oklahoma Dept of Corrections, Julius Jones organs are not eligible for donation.
She continued: "The state is 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.
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