A federal death row inmate was denied clemency for a crime committed more than 20 years ago in Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Board of Pardons and Parole voted 3- 2 against recommending clemency for John Hanson Wednesday morning.
Hanson was brought back to Oklahoma in March after the state Attorney General Gentner Drummond called for him to be executed where his crimes took place. That’s not a typical request, but it was granted by U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi.
Hanson’s legal team argues he should be sent back to federal prison. He was convicted of the 1999 carjacking and kidnapping of 77-year-old Mary Bowles in Tulsa.
Court documents state Hanson and his accomplice, Victor Miller, shot and killed Bowles in Owasso.
Miller then killed Jerald Thurman, who witnessed the crime.
Both Hanson and Miller were sentenced to death for the crime in Tulsa. But Miller’s sentence was reduced to life in prison without parole.
Hanson had been in federal prison in Louisiana, serving a separate life sentence for bank robbery, until he was moved back to Oklahoma for execution.
His legal team argues Miller admitted to killing Bowles and that Hanson faces several impairments. They argue he should go back to federal prison to serve life without parole.
A statement was released after the Parole Board’s decision from Callie Heller, one of Mr. Hanson’s attorneys:
Mr. Hanson’s case presents the kind of extreme disparity and unresolved legal questions that the clemency process is meant to address. A more culpable co-defendant is serving life, while Mr. Hanson—who was homeless, developmentally disabled, and never had a full and fair opportunity to present mitigating evidence—is now at risk of execution. As of today, three jurors have come forward with concerns about their death verdict after learning facts they never heard at trial. Mr. Hanson has expressed clear remorse and taken responsibility for his role in the crime. For all of these reasons, we believe the Board was wrong not to recommend clemency. We will leave no stone unturned as we fight to stop Mr. Hanson’s execution.
Stitt could still stop the execution, which is scheduled for June 12.
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