Julius Jones’ mother has pleaded with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt to grant clemency to her son as he awaits execution scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Concurrently, a protest has erupted at the governor’s mansion, compelling Oklahoma City law officials to erect barricades to keep protesters from Stitt’s home, KOKH reported.
“If my child is executed tomorrow or any day, it should be without a doubt. Not even a little bit of doubt,” Jones’ mother, Madeline Davis-Jones, told protesters on Wednesday, CNN reported.
“Governor, you still have a chance, you still have time,” Davis-Jones continued. “You have time, Governor Stitt, to get this right.”
Jones is a 41-year-old Black man convicted in 1999 in the carjacking and killing of a businessman named Paul Howell. Jones has consistently maintained his innocence in the case.
Jones’ case received renewed attention in 2018 after it was featured in the documentary series “The Last Defense.” The series said that Jones’ attorney failed to present evidence that could have implicated his high school friend, Christopher Jordan, who Jones alleged framed him for the crime.
Jones said he was having dinner with his family at the time of the murder. This alibi wasn’t presented during his 1999 trial, Jones has said.
Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board has voted 3-1 in favor of a recommendation for Stitt to spare Jones’ life and sentence him to life in prison. However, Stitt has only said that he is “deep in prayer” while he considers his decision, the Oklahoma newspaper Enid News & Eagle reported.
While Stitt considers his decision, protesters have gathered at his mansion and at the state capitol. Officers with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Oklahoma City Police erected barricades outside of Stitt’s mansion to keep protesters away while awaiting his decision.
“We are placing barricades near the Governor’s mansion to provide a safe place for those who show up for peaceful gatherings,” the police department wrote in a tweet issued Wednesday evening.
Since “The Last Defense” documentary aired, celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have made public statements supporting Jones. A Change.org petition pushing for the state to drop Jones’ death sentence has since gained more than 6.5 million signatures.
Cece Jones-Davis, founder of the Justice for Julius Coalition and creator of the Change.org petition, has said that Jones was given inexperienced defense attorneys, a racially biased jury and encountered prosecutorial misconduct from police and court officials in his original trial.
However, Howell’s relatives have continued pushing for Jones’ execution.
“For the past twenty-one years, both the state and federal judicial system have been involved in scrutinizing this case,” the family said on its Justice for Paul Howell website.
“The courts have heard multiple appeals in multiple forms and at multiple levels from Julius Jones,” the website continued. “They have found no claim which necessitated the granting of relief.”
Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty
