Oklahoma governor spares the life of death row inmate just before scheduled lethal injection

This Feb. 9, 2023, photo shows Tremane Wood, who was sentenced to die for the stabbing death of a man during a robbery in 2001. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP)

McALESTER, Okla. --Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt spared an inmate’s life moments before he was to receive a lethal injection on Thursday, commuting his sentence to life without parole while he waited in a holding cell next to the death chamber.

Family members of the victim had supported the clemency bid of Tremane Wood, 46, and the governor cited their “Christian forgiveness and love,” in a statement announcing his decision.

Wood was scheduled to be executed for the stabbing death of Ronnie Wipf, 19, during a botched robbery in 2002, but Wood maintained that the actual killer was his brother, who died while serving a life sentence. It is just the second time the Republican governor has granted clemency during his nearly seven years in office.

“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 announced.

“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,” the governor said.

Wood had received his “last meal” and been moved to a cell next to the death chamber, but had not yet been strapped to the gurney when the governor made his decision, said prison spokeswoman Kay Thompson.

In his executive order commuting Wood’s sentence, Stitt says Wood shall not be eligible to apply for or be considered for a commutation, pardon or parole for the rest of his life.

Stitt imposed similar conditions in 2021 after granting clemency to death row inmate Julius Jones. The governor had rejected clemency recommendations in four other cases. A total of 16 men have been executed during Stitt’s time in office.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond expressed disappointment with the governor’s decision.

“I am disappointed that the governor has granted clemency for this dangerous murderer, but respect that this was his decision to make,” Drummond said in a statement.

Wood’s attorney, Amanda Bass Castro Alves, said she and her legal team are “profoundly grateful” for Stitt’s decision.

“This decision honors the wishes of Mr. Wipf’s family and the surviving victim, and we hope it allows them a measure of peace,” her statement said.

Several Republican lawmakers also had urged Stitt to grant Wood clemency.

Wipf grew up in a Hutterite religious community in Montana, and both his family and the surviving victim of the attack supported his clemency, Castro Alves said.

George Burnett, one of the original prosecutors, said he’s concerned that a five-member parole board can have such a profound impact on a case that has been litigated for more than 20 years. He also asserted that the evidence suggests Tremane Wood was the one who fatally stabbed Wipf.

“Ronnie Wipf is buried on a lonely hill somewhere on the plains of Montana, and when his family visits him, they wonder what might have been,” Burnett said.

Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 last week to recommend that the governor grant clemency.

During the clemency hearing, Wood’s attorneys didn’t deny that he participated in the robbery but maintained that his brother, Zjaiton Wood, was the one who actually stabbed Wipf. Zjaiton Wood was sentenced to life without parole. Before he died in prison in 2019, he admitted to several people that he killed Wipf, said Tremane Wood’s attorney, Amanda Bass Castro Alves.

Castro Alves told the panel Tremane Wood had an ineffective trial attorney who was drinking heavily at the time and who did little work on the case. She also said trial prosecutors improperly concealed from jurors the benefits that witnesses received in exchange for their testimony. Wood’s attorneys had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the execution on these grounds, but were denied.

Prosecutors painted Wood as a dangerous criminal who continued to participate in gang activity and commit crimes while in prison, including buying and selling drugs, using contraband cellphones and ordering attacks on other inmates.

Wood, who testified to the panel via video link from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, accepted responsibility for his prison misconduct and his participation in the robbery, but denied being the one who killed Wipf.

“I’m not a monster. I’m not a killer. I never was and I never have been,” Wood said.

By Sean Murphy