In a move that has stirred up emotions on both sides of the justice debate, Oklahoma Governor Stitt has granted clemency to Tremane Wood, a man on death row for the 2002 murder of 19-year-old Ronnie Wipf during a robbery in Oklahoma City. Despite Wood’s history of violence and contraband activity within the prison system, the Governor has chosen to commute his sentence, according to an official statement from the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond has expressed his disappointment over the Governor’s decision, particularly considering Wood’s pattern of behavior while incarcerated. Wood, who was found to possess several contraband cell phones, was implicated in drug distribution and gang-related violence. “I am disappointed that the governor has granted clemency for this dangerous murderer, but respect that this was his decision to make,” Drummond said. The State had provided to the Pardon and Parole Board a video evidencing a beating that was ordered by Wood—a video he allegedly asked to be sent to him—as part of the argument against clemency.
The tension behind this clemency decision is heightened by the fact that Wood’s execution had been slated for just one day prior, Thursday, November 13. While the Attorney General respects the Governor’s authority to make such calls, his statement highlights a firm stance on keeping Wood away from the public. “My office will continue working to ensure that Tremane Wood remains behind bars and that the public is protected from him,” Drummond further elaborated in the obtained statement on the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office website…