Julius Jones: US governor suspends last-hour decision | Death Penalty Issues

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has stopped the killing of convicted prisoner Julius Jones just hours before, and sentenced him to life in prison without parole.

The indictment of Jones in the 1999 murder of a Oklahoma City businessman and concerns about the assassinations used in the Oklahoma City massacre prompted the whole country to call for his resignation. the death penalty.

“After prayerful consideration and review of the findings of both sides of the case, I am determined to change the sentence of Julius Jones to life imprisonment without parole,” Stitt said Thursday.

Oklahoma is US law enforcement agencies and human rights activists have been demanding an end to Jones’ assassination. The Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-1 earlier this month to urge Stitt to change Jones’ sentence to life imprisonment.

Jones’ attorney, Amanda Bass, received Stitt’s verdict on Thursday, calling it “a retaliatory measure for the criminal justice system”.

“While we expect the Governor-General to adhere closely to the Board’s recommendations in reversing Julius ‘sentence for life and the possibility of parole due to ample evidence of Julius’ innocence, we are grateful that the Governor has prevented an irreversible mistake,” Bass said. in a sentence.

Many US states have abolished the death penalty, but 27 states and the federal government still accept the heaviest penalty in some major cases.

Jones was convicted of murdering the first person and sentenced to death for killing businessman Paul Howell for stealing a car 22 years ago. He claims to be innocent and claims to have been made by the murderer who testified against him, but critics say the evidence against Jones is overwhelming.

National celebrities, including real TV personality Kim Kardashian West and NBA stars have been supporting Jones.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), a pro-justice body, wrote a letter to Stitt earlier this month raising doubts in Jones’ case. The LDF has confirmed that the family of the detainee confirmed he was at home at the time of the shooting. It also raised concerns about the statements made by one of Jones’ jurors in the case of n.

“This nude hatred of the trial judge openly accused Mr Jones of having the legal right to” a fair trial. [could] seeing him as impartial, which has disrupted our judicial system for a long time. ‘

Lawyers for prisoners awaiting execution in Oklahoma also say that the drugs used in executions by the government have carried out harsh and unusual punishment, violating the rights of prisoners.

Late October, John Grant, 60, he suffered a stroke and vomited when he was killed by a lethal injection in Oklahoma. It was for the government first murder in six years.

Grant, Jones, and three other inmates won the October 27 appeal to a court of appeals, but the Supreme Court reversed the decision.

Journalists who witnessed Grant’s assassination said at a press conference that he vomited and shook his body nearly 12 times before his death. The first reaction after midazolam, the first dose of three drugs, was given by injection.

The incident further added to the government’s suspension of killings.

Wednesday, dozens of students from high schools in Oklahoma City made the trip from the classrooms to protesting Jones’ assassination plot, local journalists added.

The Howell family, who had been the victims of the Jones case, said in a statement that local publications that it takes comfort in the affirmation of the conviction against Jones.

“We know Governor Stitt had a difficult decision to make,” he said. “We are comforted that his decision confirmed the guilt of Julius Jones and that he will not be eligible to seek, or be considered, modified, pardoned or pardoned for the rest of his life.”