Julius Jones supporters gather outside Oklahoma governor’s house ahead of execution
Julius Jones’ life was spared just hours before he was set to be executed.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt issued a statement just before 1:20pm EST announcing that he will commute Jones’ sentence to life in prison without the possibility for parole. He also noted in the statement that in doing so, he is removing Jones’ eligibility for any further reduction in his sentence.
“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,” Mr Stitt said in the statement.
After the announcement, Kim Kardashian, who had been a vocal proponent for Jones, revealed that she spoke with Jones on a phone call hours before his execution. She said he refused anti-anxiety medication common for death row inmates facing execution because of his “clear conscience.”
Earlier in the day, Jones’ attorneys filed an emergency injunction hoping to halt his execution, arguing that the state’s recent lethal injections have been riddled with problems that cause lingering, torturous pain and suffering for the inmates sentenced to death. The attorneys hope that by proving that Oklahoma’s lethal injections qualify as “cruel and unusual punishment” they can at least buy their client more time.
Mr Stitt also faced international pressure after the European Union’s ambassador to the US penned a letter calling on him to stop the execution. A petition against the execution has garnered more than 6 million signatures.
Jones, 41, has spent more than half of his life in prison after he was charged and convicted of the murder of Paul Howell during a 1999 carjacking. He has maintained that he is innocent of the crime and was framed by his then-friend and co-defendant, who allegedly actually shot Mr Howell.
