Tremane Wood is scheduled to be executed on Nov. 13 for the first-degree “felony murder” of Ronnie Wipf. I write to urge the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to show mercy to Tremane Wood, by voting to recommend that Gov. Kevin Stitt “commute” his death sentence to a sentence of “life without parole.” Under Oklahoma law, Tremane needs at least three votes from the five-member board for the governor to have the opportunity to spare his life. I am respectfully pleading for mercy for Tremane Wood from both the board and Gov. Stitt.
The killing of Ronnie Wipf was violent, senseless and inexcusable. Period. It evolved from the armed robbery of Wipf and his friend, Arnold Kleinsasser, by Zjaiton (Jake) Wood and his brother, Tremane, with the assistance of Jake’s girlfriend (Lanita Bateman) and Tremane’s ex-girlfriend (Brandy Warden). The 2001 New Year’s Eve “plan” was for the two women to lure the two men to an OKC hotel for sex, but then the Wood brothers would rob them. Ronnie and Arnold were passing through Oklahoma City on their way back to Texas, after spending Christmas with their Hutterite families in rural Montana.
Hutterites live in agriculture-based colonies outside modern society. They believe in communal living, Bible faithfulness and pacifism. Arnold and Ronnie grew up without televisions and computers, seemingly easy targets to Brandy and Lanita. Not long after the women got the men to a hotel room, Jake and Tremane arrived in masks, and the women ran away. The larger man (Jake) robbed Arnold at gunpoint, while the smaller one (Tremane) approached Ronnie with a knife. Arnold quickly gave Jake all his cash, but Ronnie put up a tremendous fight, eventually struggling with both brothers. Shortly after hearing a gun fire, Arnold fled, running for his life. The shot was apparently a misfire, however, which injured Jake’s hand. Ronnie was actually killed by a single stab wound to the chest. Hence, there was only one killer…