![]() Grant, 60, convulsed and vomitedas he was being put to death Oct. Oklahoma ended a six-year moratorium on executions - brought on by concerns over its lethal injection methods - last month. “We need Julius Jones to be held responsible.” And he still feels no shame, guilt or remorse for his action,” Tobey said. “He is the same person today as he was 22 years ago. Tobey testified before the board that she distinctly remembers seeing Jones shoot her brother. Howell’s sister, Megan Tobey, and two young daughters were in Howell’s SUV when the carjacking happened in his parents’ driveway in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond. Jones claimed in his commutation filing that the gun and bandanna were planted there by the actual killer, who had been inside Jones’ house after the killing. Investigators also found the murder weapon wrapped in a bandanna with Jones’ DNAin an attic space above his bedroom. Information from trial transcripts shows that witnesses identified Jones as the shooter and placed him with Howell’s stolen vehicle. But Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater and the state’s former attorney general, Mike Hunter, have said the evidence against Jones is overwhelming. Jones alleges he was framed by the actual killer, a high school friend and former co-defendant who was a key witness against him. Since then, reality television star Kim Kardashian West and athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, have urged Stitt to commute Jones’ death sentence and spare his life. Jones’ case drew widespread attention after it was profiled in “The Last Defense,” a three-episode documentary produced by actress Viola Davis that aired on ABC in 2018. Jones was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to die for the 1999 shooting death of Edmond businessman Paul Howell during a carjacking. 1 that Stitt commute Jones’ sentence to life in prison, with several members of the panel agreeing they had doubts about the evidence that led to Jones’ conviction. The state’s Pardon and Parole Board recommended in a 3-1 vote on Nov. A crowd that had gathered inside of the Oklahoma Capitol in support of Jones broke out into loud applause and cheers after the decision was announced shortly after noon Thursday.Įarlier Thursday, Jones’ attorneys had filed a last-minute emergency request seeking a temporary stop to his execution, saying Oklahoma’s lethal injection procedures post a “serious and substantial risk of severe suffering and pain to prisoners” and citing last month’s execution in which John Marion Grant convulsed and vomited as he was being put to death.
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