It was the first time the board has held a commutation hearing for an inmate facing the death penalty. Now, as Jones faces execution in as little as two months, his fate lies with Gov. Kevin Stitt, who must ultimately decide whether to commute his sentence.
Oklahoma hasn’t attempted an execution since a series of bungled attempts ushered in a six-year moratorium on capital punishment. Now it says it’s ready to execute seven men in three-week intervals beginning as early as next month.
Jones’ attorneys believe the Pardon and Parole Board investigator recommended Jones have his sentence commuted. The board’s attorney says the “investigator recommendation” isn’t actually a recommendation.
With schools legally barred from enacting mask mandates, data shows cases in school-age children are driving Oklahoma’s surging COVID-19 case load.
Oklahoma’s largest city has not yet mandated vaccination for existing police officers and firefighters, which would require negotiations with their unions.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health had as many as 175 contact tracers last year, but is down to about 30 today. It needs to almost double that number to deal with a growing number of COVID-19 cases.
A lack of genomic testing so far has limited the understanding of how far the more transmissible variant has spread across the state
With no statewide mask mandate, mayors, city councils and county governments were left to determine which safety measures were put in place and deal with the political consequences.
