Convicted of murder as a teenager, Wayne Thompson hopes for a second chance at freedom
He was 15 when he killed his sister’s abuser. Even after years of good conduct, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has rejected recommending him for release.
Oklahoma carries out its third execution of 2024
Emmanuel Littlejohn was sentenced to death for the murder of an Oklahoma City convenience store owner. Gov. Kevin Stitt did not act on a recommendation from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to grant clemency.
A probe into Cleveland County jail deaths will include a look at medical provider Turn Key Health
At least four Cleveland County jail detainees have died this year. The county faces lawsuits over some deaths.
Impact: The Frontier and collaborators win a national reporting award for explanatory journalism
Journalists in Oklahoma and three other states reported on how prosecutors are using the concept of “fetal personhood” to criminalize mothers who use drugs during their pregnancies, even if they give birth to healthy babies.
Oklahoma plans to carry out third execution of 2024 unless the governor grants mercy
Emmanuel Littlejohn has been on death row for 32 years. He was sentenced to death for killing an Oklahoma City convenience store clerk during a robbery in 1992 but says another man pulled the trigger.
As legal costs pile up, Oklahoma isn’t done fighting to win back federal family planning money
After the state banned abortion, it lost federal funding for family planning programs. Oklahoma is now paying for attorneys and to replace lost federal dollars. State health officials say they can’t give women pregnancy counseling that includes information on abortion, or refer them to a hotline
Update: Turn Key Health Clinics will leave the Oklahoma County jail in 30 days
The company says it’s exiting the jail because of Oklahoma County’s “chronic, severe” lack of security staff. The jail is moving forward with plans to find a new medical provider to avoid medical care interruptions for detainees.
Three prisoners died at an Oklahoma private prison after guards skipped security checks and falsified records
Prison contractor The Geo Group tried to negotiate a $3 million pay increase with Oklahoma this year. But records show state prison officials found the company violated its contract by failing to lock prisoners in their cells, conduct security checks and leaving prisoners alone in pods without staff supervision.
Special Projects
Fields of Green: A Frontier and ProPublica investigation into Oklahoma’s medical marijuana black market
Chinese criminal networks have taken over much of the illicit marijuana market in Oklahoma, stoking a wave of crime that includes violence, money laundering and human trafficking. And authorities suspect some of those involved have links to powerful forces in the Chinese state.
Shot by Shot: Tracking Oklahoma police shootings in 2024
There have been at least nine fatal police shootings in Oklahoma in 2024, a sharp decrease over previous years.
Shot by Shot: Tracking Oklahoma police shootings in 2023
There were at least 25 fatal police shootings in Oklahoma in 2023.
Listen Frontier
Monroe Nichols and Karen Keith are vying to become Tulsa’s first Democratic mayor in more than a decade.
