Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt granted clemency to a death row inmate Thursday, sparing his life just hours before a scheduled execution by lethal injection.
What was Tremane Wood in prison for?
Stitt, a Republican, commuted 46-year-old Tremane Wood’s sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This is the second time he has granted clemency to an inmate since being elected in 2018 and taking office the following year, according to the BBC and The Guardian.
Wood was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 2004 for his role in the 2002 stabbing death of 19-year-old Montana farm worker Ronnie Wipf during a robbery. His family reportedly told a parole board that they opposed Wood’s execution and intervened to halt it.
“After a thorough review of the facts and prayerful consideration, I have chosen to accept the Pardon and Parole Board’s recommendation to commute Tremane Wood’s sentence to life without parole,” Stitt said in a statement obtained by the BBC.
Wood’s attorney speaks out following the clemency decision
Wood’s attorneys have always maintained that he was part of the robbery on New Year’s Eve in 2001 at an Oklahoma City motel, but did not kill Wipf. His older brother, Zjaiton Wood, pleaded guilty to the murder and died by suicide in prison in 2019.
“This action reflects the same punishment his brother received for their murder of an innocent young man and ensures a severe punishment that keeps a violent offender off the streets forever,” Stitt added.
Wood’s attorney, Amanda Bass Castro-Alves, spoke out about the clemency decision from Stitt.
“We are profoundly grateful for the moral courage and leadership Gov. Stitt has shown in granting mercy to Tremane,” Castro-Alves said to the BBC. “This decision honors the wishes of Mr. Wipf’s family and the surviving victim, and we hope it allows them a measure of peace.”
‘I’m not a killer’
Wood had spent more than 20 years at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Throughout his time in prison, he has consistently maintained his innocence in the killing.
“I’m not a monster. I’m not a killer,” Wood told the hearing via a video link from prison, according to The Guardian. “I never was, and I never have been.”
His attorneys also argued that Wood had an unfair trial due to his previous attorney at the time, John Barry Albert, and Albert’s actions and his drug and alcohol use. The prosecution had also painted Wood as a vicious criminal, then and now, accusing him of participating in criminal activity while in prison, according to the BBC and The Guardian.
Wood’s son was overjoyed by Stitt’s ruling
Wood’s son, Brendan Wood, appeared to be elated outside the prison Thursday morning after having arrived and waited to witness his father’s execution.
“I feel lighter. I feel like a thousand pounds has been lifted off my shoulders,” Brendan told The Guardian.
He also called for legislation in cases like his father’s, citing the mental turmoil and anxiety caused by the looming possibility of execution.
“I think there needs to be possibly some precaution in place, maybe even a bill that prevents last-second decisions like this. … I believe that a person wholeheartedly thinking that they are about to take their last breath, and it’s coming down to seconds, minutes before the decision is made … I find that to be mental torture, I don’t find that to be humane,” Brendan added.