The evidence implicating an Oklahoma death row inmate whose case has drawn national attention is overwhelming and his application for a commutation is filled with “demonstrable falsehoods," Oklahoma County's top prosecutor wrote in a letter this week to the state's Pardon and Parole Board. The murder conviction of Julius Jones, 40, for the 1999 shooting death of Edmond businessman Paul Howell in front of Howell's two young daughters has drawn the attention of reality television star Kim Kardashian West and athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, who have urged Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt to commute Jones’ death sentence and spare his life. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater detailed the evidence against Jones in a 15-page letter on Monday to the state's Pardon and Parole Board in which he urged the panel to deny Jones' request for a commutation hearing.
This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU s Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Kiesel about a new policy from Governor Stitt allowing students exposed to COVID-19 to not be quarantined if they were wearing a mask and social distancing, officials at the State Capitol stepping up security ahead of Joe Biden s inauguration and some Tulsa black leaders asking for Senator James Lankford to be removed from the 1921 Race Massacre Commission.
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