The execution of Oklahoma death row inmate Julius Jones was commuted by Gov. Kevin Stitt Thursday, just hours before the 41-year-old was sentenced to die at 4 p.m. Central Time. Stitt office shared the following statement Thursday afternoon:
Pursuant to Article 6, Section 10 of the Oklahoma Constitution, Governor Kevin Stitt today issued Executive Order 2021-25 to commute the death sentence of Julius Jones, who was tried and convicted for the first-degree murder of Paul Howell, to life imprisonment without the possibility for parole, on the condition that he shall never again be eligible to apply for, be considered for, or receive any additional commutation, pardon, or parole.
Governor Stitt released the following statement regarding his decision: “After prayerful consideration and reviewing materials presented by all sides of this case, I have determined to commute Julius Jones’ sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.”
Jones’ case drew widespread attention within the sports world over the past few months, including with the Warriors. Jones has maintained his innocence for 19 years since being convicted of a 2002 first-degree murder. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recommended clemency by a 3-1 vote on Nov. 1, but 17 days passed before Stitt commuted Jones’ sentence.
When Golden State visited the Oklahoma City Thunder in October, Steph Curry held a postgame phone conversation with Jones. Curry and the Warriors also met with the family after inviting them to the game.
During his weekly appearance on 95.7 The Game’s “Damon and Ratto” Wednesday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr explained why he felt motivated to speak out about Jones’ case. Kerr cited work done by an organization called The Innocence Project, which has presented a bevy of evidence to support Jones’ claims.
“There are literally hundreds of thousands of people galvanizing around the country, including some close friends of mine from the Bay, who are in Oklahoma right now trying to get this clemency granted, trying to convince the governor to give Julius Jones his day,” Kerr said. "I just felt very strongly in light of all this evidence, that this is something that should happen. I decided to join in the fight.”
Listen to the full interview here:
Kerr’s appearance came just minutes after he posted a video on Twitter showing his support for Jones on what could have been his final evening. The video caught major traction with nearly 800,000 views in its first 18 hours since being published.
— Steve Kerr (@SteveKerr) November 18, 2021
Curry said he’d like to meet with Jones one day, so this could just be the beginning of a new bond between the Warriors and Jones.
