Plain Old Justice

JULIUS JONES WAITS ON DEATH ROW

by K. W. Locke

Why is it taking Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt so long to decide whether Julius Jones will die on November 18?

In 2002, a jury found that Jones had killed a man and sentenced him to death. Jones consistently has maintained that he is innocent and that his inexperienced attorney failed to call alibi witnesses at his trial. The ABC television network aired a documentary about the case and Kim Kardashian has taken up his cause.  Lawyers at the Innocence Project, similarly convinced that Jones didn't commit the crime, brought his case before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.

But others, including some members of the victim's family, believe that Jones is guilty.  When the parole board met two months ago, they argued that Jones deserved to die.

At the conclusion of its September 13 hearing, the parole board voted to recommend that the governor reduce Jones' sentence from death to life in prison with the possibility of parole. But in Oklahoma, the parole board only can recommend, and the governor is free to reject the recommendation.

Governor Stitt neither adopted nor rejected this recommendation. Instead, he asked for another hearing. The September 13 hearing had been a parole hearing. The governor wanted the board to hold a clemency hearing. At such a hearing, Jones himself would be allowed to speak.

 On November 1, the parole board held the clemency hearing.  Again, it recommended that Gov. Stitt commute Jones' sentence from death to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. As of this writing, the governor has not made a decision. The November 18 execution date draws closer and closer.

People concerned that an innocent man may be put to death have been writing letters (such as this one) to the governor.

Apart from the issue of Jones' innocence is the matter of execution Oklahoma style. Although Oklahoma was the first state to enact a law providing for execution by lethal injection, it's not very good at it.

When it executed Clayton Lockett in 2014, the phlebotomist inserting the IV needle made a mistake. Instead of going into the Lockett's bloodstream, the lethal drugs infused surrounding tissue.  Lockett regained consciousness, moaned and struggled. More than 40 after the execution began, he died from a heart attack. 

The next year, the execution team administered the wrong drug to Charles Warner. Lying on the gurney, Warner said it "feels like acid."

Witnesses do not sit in the execution chamber itself but outside, watching through windows and listening to a loudspeaker. Prison officials cut off Warner's microphone but a reporter, outside the chamber, heard him say "my body is on fire" and "no one should go through this."

After Warner's execution, Oklahoma waited 6 years before trying another one.  That pause gave prison officials time to study and improve execution procedures.  (The current procedure can be found here.)

However, when Oklahoma resumed executions less than 2 weeks ago, on October 28, it didn't go well.  John Grant convulsed repeatedly and vomited before he died.

Julius Jones is next in line.