Two clemency hearings struck for Oklahoma death row inmates
Nov. 8—Clemency hearings for two Oklahoma death row inmates scheduled this week were stricken due to ongoing legal challenges in both cases.
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board announced Wednesday the Nov. 9 clemency hearings for John Hanson and Richard Glossip were stricken to be "rescheduled at a later date."
Attorneys for the state of Oklahoma filed a federal lawsuit against the federal Bureau of Prisons last month after the BOP denied a transfer request.
Hanson was convicted and sentenced to death in Tulsa County District Court for the deaths of 77-year-old Mary Bowles and 44-year-old Jerald Thurman and is currently scheduled to be executed Dec. 15.
Records show Hanson is currently serving a life sentence plus 107 years in a Louisiana federal prison for a series of armed robberies he committed after the Tulsa County murders.
BOP denied two requests from Oklahoma Attorney General John O' Connor and Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler because the transfer of Hanson, aka George John Hanson, for his December execution in Oklahoma "was not in the public interest."
State authorities argue in the lawsuit that the federal government's denial to transfer Hanson in the name of public interest "would mean that Hanson will never face justice for his murder of Bowles" and "if Hanson is transferred, state and federal justice will both be achieved."
Federal attorneys argue the denial of Hanson's transfer is consistent with BOP's general practice of effectuating transfers "within the last 90 days of the inmate's final release from his or her federal sentence."
"The denial also furthers BOP's legitimate interest in ensuring that a federal prisoner serve the entirety of his federal prison sentence," federal attorneys wrote.
Oklahoma law requires clemency hearings for death row inmates to be scheduled 21 calendar days before the scheduled execution date, meaning state officials have until Nov. 24 at the latest to hold a commutation hearing prior to Hanson's Dec. 15 execution date.
A ruling was not made as this story was being prepared for publication.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order Nov. 3 staying the execution of death row inmate Richard Glossip.
The order moved Glossip's scheduled execution to Feb. 16, 2023 "to allow time for the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to address pending legal proceedings."
Glossip was convicted twice of first-degree murder in a 1997 murder-for-hire plot that accused him of hiring Justin Sneed to kill his boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese.
Sneed admitted to killing Van Treese and told investigators it was under Glossip's direction. Sneed received a sentence of life imprisonment and is a key witness against Glossip.
Glossip's case gained international attention prior to an ad hoc committee of 34 Oklahoma legislators called for an independent review in February 2022. State Rep. Kevin McDugle led the committee and said he would fight to end Oklahoma's death penalty if Glossip is executed.
Don Knight, Richard Glossip's attorney, said attorneys filed a petition for post-conviction relief based on two key findings — that Sneed wanted to recant his testimony and that the lead district attorney changed the man's testimony.
Sneed asked his attorney in a 2003 letter if recanting his testimony was an option. Sneed also wrote his attorney's office in 2007 implying he wanted to recant his testimony.
Knight said a memo written in the middle of the trial states some of Sneed's testimony needed to be "cleaned up" because some of it didn't align with testimony from the medical examiner.
The motions filed by Glossip's defense team requesting an evidentiary hearing and post-conviction relief are currently pending before the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.
Contact Derrick James at djames@mcalesternews.com
