Oklahoma pardon and parole board recommended clemency for Julius Jones, who was sentenced to execution after being convicted for crimes he claims to have not committed.
Jones pleaded his case to the Board for a short period before he was set to be executed. The Board voted 3-1 on November 1 to recommend commuting Julius’ sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole instead of execution, according to the release from Julius’ attorneys acquired by CNN.
“My son Julius has been on death row for over twenty years for a murder he did not commit, and every day of that has been a waking nightmare for my family,” said Julius’ mother, Madeline Davis-Jones, in a statement.
“I am grateful to the Pardon and Parole Board for again showing they are willing to listen to facts and reason, show compassion, and do what is in their power to right this terrible wrong. Now, I am asking Gov. Stitt to do the same by accepting their recommendation,” she added.
Julius is a Black man who was scheduled to be executed as of November 18 for the conviction of the murder of Paul Howell.
Related Story: UCLA Schedules Games Against HBCUs for First Time in History
However, Julius’ attorneys and advocates, who include celebrities like Kim Kardashian West, claim that he is innocent.
The man has been on death row for almost 20 years for a crime he claims to have not committed, his clemency petition says, because of “fundamental breakdowns in the system tasked with deciding” his guilt, which includes defense attorneys with a poor experience, racial discrimination, and alleged prosecutorial misconduct.
In September, the same parole board recommended commuting Julius’ sentence.
Amanda Bass, lead counsel for Julius, said, “The Pardon and Parole Board has now twice voted in favor of commuting Julius Jones’s death sentence, acknowledging the grievous errors that led to his conviction and death sentence. We hope that Governor Stitt will exercise his authority to accept the Board’s recommendation and ensure that Oklahoma does not execute an innocent man.”
In a previous statement to the outlet, Rachel Howell, the victim’s daughter, said that the story about Julius’ innocence was “completely false” and noted that evidence proves he is guilty.
