#Julius jones oklahoma series#

A week beforethe murder, Jones had been arrested for shoplifting and his booking photo shows him with a fully shaved head. *Eyewitnesses described the shooter as someone with an inch of hair showing out of a bandanna. вЂњHowever, even a cursory reading of the facts of the case will leave one with questions about whether he committed first degree murder.вЂќДЄmong those вЂњissues,вЂќ Schlapp and Head listed the following: вЂњThere is no doubt that Jones participated in other serious crimes (shoplifting, carjacking)and as such, must face the consequences,вЂќ the conservative advocates wrote. Then Schlapp and Head went farther, stating that the facts of Jones case, left open the possibility that he was actually innocent of the murder of which he was convicted. Accordingly, we urge you to commute Julius JonesвЂ™ sentence.вЂќ As long as that outcome is possible, we believe one must err on the side of life. However, as representatives of staunchly pro-life organizations, we believe that taking an innocent lifeвЂ“whether a baby in its motherвЂ™s womb or a wrongly convicted adultвЂ“is wrong. вЂњWe recognize that this is a difficult decision,вЂќ the two wrote, вЂњand we donвЂ™t envy you having to make it. Jones emerged from two unusual quarters, namely that of Matt Schlapp, chairman of The American Conservative Union, and Timothy Head, executive director of The Faith & Freedom Coalition, who wrote a joint letter to the Oklahoma governor. On that topic, late last month, support for a commutation for Mr. It was also the stateвЂ™s first execution since botching the executions of Clayton Lockett in April 2014 and Charles Warner in January 2015 and then aborting the execution of Richard Glossip in September 2015. GrantвЂ™s execution was OklahomaвЂ™s 113thВ since executions resumed in the United States in 1977 - tied with Virginia for the second most of any state during that period. Multiple times over the course of the next few minutes medical staff entered the death chamber to wipe away and remove vomit from the still-breathing Grant.вЂќ

вЂњAs the convulsions continued, Grant then began to vomit.

вЂњAlmost immediately after the drug was administered, Grant began convulsing, so much so that his entire upper back repeatedly lifted off the gurney,вЂќ Snyder reported.

#Julius jones oklahoma series#

Oklahoma City Fox television anchor Dan Snyder was among those media witnesses who described an inarguably horrific series of events. Their argument was graphically supported last month, when media witnesses to the October 28, 2021, execution of Oklahoma death row resident John Grant, reported that Grant suffered repeated convulsions and vomited over a nearly 15-minute period after he was administered the controversial execution drug midazolam.

Governor StittвЂ™s announcement came soon after JonesвЂ™ federal public defenders filed an emergency motion asking a federal judge to stay the execution based on вЂњcompelling evidenceвЂќ that the drugs used in lethal injections вЂњpose a serious and substantial risk of severe suffering and pain to prisoners.вЂќ Yet, an unusual array of others familiar with the case, have grave doubts that justice was done with JonesвЂ™ conviction. Julius Jones was convicted of the 1999 murder of a man named Paul Howell, of Edmond, Oklahoma, who was shot to death in front of his two daughters and sister.Дespite JonesвЂ™ years of protest, HowellвЂ™s family members continue to believe that Jones is in fact guilty.

The second issue was that Jones was scheduled to be put to deathВ for a murder he has steadfastly insisted he did not commit. The first issue was evidence that the stateвЂ™s method of execution was faulty to the point of constituting torture, even in the eyes of those who still favor capital punishment. Interestingly, there were two important issues that have caused justice advocates and others to lobby repeatedly for a commutation.