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Stitt Commutes Tremane Wood’s Death Sentence Minutes Before Scheduled Execution

The governor accepted a rare 3–2 clemency recommendation following court refusals to grant a stay.

Overview

  • Gov. Kevin Stitt commuted Tremane Wood’s sentence to life without parole just before a 10 a.m. CT execution was set to proceed in McAlester.
  • It is only the second clemency Stitt has granted to a death row inmate, following Julius Jones in 2021.
  • The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recommended mercy in a 3–2 vote, citing concerns that Wood’s trial was not fair and just.
  • Both the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court denied last-minute requests to halt the execution earlier in the day.
  • Wood was condemned for the 2002 stabbing death of 19-year-old Ronnie Wipf during a robbery; his late brother Jake confessed to the stabbing as prosecutors and the attorney general opposed clemency, pointing to Wood’s prison misconduct.