Julius Jones: Kim Kardashian reveals details of phone call as Oklahoma governor halts execution
Jones will not be executed, but will also be ineligible for further sentence reductions
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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.
State attorney general believes Julius Jones is ‘100%’ guilty
Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor says he will support whatever Governor Kevin Stitt decides, but he is 100 per cent sure that Julius Jones is guilty.
In an interview with Evan Onstot of ABC affiliate KOCO, Mr O’Connor said: “I’ve reviewed the evidence three different times. I’ve looked at all the exhibits. And there’s no doubt in my mind.”
He continued: “The unfortunate thing is that Mr Jones has never admitted, never repented, never asked the family to forgive him.”
Mr O’Connor said Mr Jones’ scheduled execution is a matter of public safety and the rule of law, adding: “Every Oklahoman should be able to take their kids to buy school supplies, drop by and get ice cream on the way home, and pull in to granddad’s and grandma’s home without fearing that someone is going to put a bullet in their temple when they get out of their car in front of their 7-year-old and their 9-year-old daughters.”
The attorney general also said that he is comfortable with Oklahoma’s lethal injection method, saying about recently executed inmate John Grant: “it’s not chemically possible that he was alert or understood or felt any pain” because of the sheer amount of the sedative injected to start the process.
Mr O’Connor was appointed as the state’s attorney general in July by Governor Stitt, despite the American Bar Association previously rating him as “not qualified” to serve as a federal judge.
The governor said at the time that he has known Mr O’Connor for more than 20 years and considered him a “mentor” who helped advise him when he was CEO of a mortgage company.
Images of the student protests as they reach State Capitol
People are singing and clapping inside the Capitol in support of Julius Jones.
Julius Jones and his family share final moments as hope fades of execution stay
The innocence movement to free Oklahoma death row inmate Julius Jones has reached unprecedented heights, attracting support from some of the world’s most prominent celebrities, diplomats, and athletes.
But with Jones’s execution set for 18 November, and Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt giving no public signs so far he’ll intervene to stop it, the Jones family says they’ve never felt more unseen.
Josh Marcus reports for The Independent.
‘I feel invisible’: Julius Jones and his family share last moments as execution nears
Oklahoma death row inmate has now been moved to “death watch”
More European ambassadors send messages of support
The ambassadors of France, Belgium, and Denmark have joined the EU call for clemency.
French ambassador Philippe Etienne tweeted: “Like the whole of the #EU, France is against the death penalty and for its universal abolition. @EUintheUS, we support your letter.”
His deputy, Aurélie Bonal, added: “Through its resolute commitment to universal abolition, France has become recognized as one of the main States involved in combating the #deathpenalty. France supports @EUintheUS‘s letter addressed to @GovStitt respectfully requesting him to grant clemency to #JuliusJones.”
Belgian Ambassador Jean-Arthur Régibeau wrote: “Belgium joins the EU in calling on Oklahoma Governor @GovStitt to grant clemency to #JuliusJones, who is scheduled to be executed on November 18. We share a strong commitment and will continue to fight for universal abolition of the #DeathPenalty.”
The Danish Embassy’s official account posted a similar message: “Denmark supports @EUAmbUS urgent request that @GovStitt of Oklahoma grants clemency to #JuliusJones. Denmark continues to firmly oppose capital punishment.”
Oklahoma governors have granted clemency in the past
The Oklahoman has compiled a list of the previous times a governor has granted clemency to those on death row after recommendations from the state’s parole board.
Governor Brad Henry did so on three occasions during his eight years in office from 2003 to 2011.
In 2004, he granted clemency to Osvaldo Torres, a Mexican national. Torres was sentenced to death for his role in the fatal shooting of Francisco Morales and his wife Maria Yanez in Oklahoma City in 1993.
At his clemency hearing, Torres said he and George Ochoa had planned to rob the couple but that he hadn’t anticipated that his partner would kill anyone.
His death sentence was reduced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Ochoa was put to death in 2012. Ochoa’s last words were, "I’m innocent."
In 2008, Governor Henry granted clemency to Kevin Young. He was sentenced to death for the 1996 shooting of Joseph Sutton during an armed robbery in Oklahoma City.
At his clemency hearing at the parole board, his attorneys argued the shooting was not premeditated and did not merit a capital sentence. They said their client turned down a plea agreement in his original trial that would have given him a life sentence.
Young’s punishment was reduced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The last person to receive clemency was Richard Tandy Smith in 2010. He was sentenced to death for the 1986 shooting of John Cederlund during an alleged drug deal outside an abandoned farmhouse in Canadian County.
Mr Henry made the decision almost two months after the parole board recommended clemency. He stayed Smith’s execution to give him more time to consider. Smith continues to serve his new sentence — life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Mr Henry’s predecessor, Governor Frank Keating, granted clemency to Phillip Dewitt Smith in 2001. Smith was convicted in the murder of Matthew Taylor in 1983 in Muskogee.
Witnesses who placed Smith at the scene later recanted and the state’s parole board approved his clemency recommendation. Keating said he believed Smith probably did it but lacked "moral certainty."
Smith’s punishment was changed to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Protest chants continue in State Capitol
Supporters and students from Classen SAS High School chant Free Julius Jones in the halls of the Oklahoma State Capitol outside of Governor Stitt’s office.
ACLU demands reinstatement of moratorium on executions
The ACLU of Oklahoma says it is requesting that Governor Stitt “reinstate a moratorium on executions and issue a stay on the remaining execution dates immediately and until the judiciary has made a final decision on Oklahoma’s lethal injection protocols.”
Bernice King adds voice to calls for clemency
Bernice King, CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr Center for Nonviolent Social Change, has added her voice to call for Governor Stitt to stay the execution of Julius Jones.
“It is the right, just thing to do,” she said in a tweet.
Governor’s phone system crashes
A spokesperson for the governor’s office says they are still taking calls, but the phone system could have crashed.
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