OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt’s decision to grant clemency to Tremane Wood, an inmate who has been on death row for more than 20 years, is drawing a largely positive response from both sides of the political aisle.
Wood, 46, was set to be executed by lethal injection at 10 a.m. on Nov. 13 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Wood faced the death penalty after being tried and convicted for killing of Ronnie Wipf, 19. Wipf was stabbed in the heart during a New Year’s Day 2002 robbery at a motel in Oklahoma City.
Stitt’s notice of clemency came at 10:01 a.m. on Thursday.
The governor’s action followed a trip by Wood’s family to the state Capitol to plead for his life and about two weeks after the state Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 on Nov. 5 to commute Wood’s death sentence to life without the possibility of parole.
Stitt’s call for clemency drew praise from both Democrats and Republicans.
“I am deeply grateful to Governor Stitt for taking the recommendation of the Pardon and Parole Board to grant clemency to Tremane Wood. It is unfortunate that his family were left to wait until the last minute in fear of losing him. It is a reminder of the cruelty that surrounds these death penalty cases and the need for serious criminal justice reform in Oklahoma,” said House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson.
Munson said the state must do better at ensuring a fair and just trial for all to “prevent the unnecessary and horrifying experience” of awaiting one’s own death.
“I am relieved for Tremane Wood and his family, friends, and loved ones,” Munson said in a media statement. “They deserved this outcome a long time ago. Thank you to every Oklahoman who reached out to the Governor’s office. While it should not be this way, your advocacy worked. Oklahomans have the power to create the change we desperately need.”
The chair of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Dr. Elizabeth Overman, praised the action, too.
“This is a good turn of affairs in Oklahoma. The possibility for justice and fairness still lives in our state.”
Republican state Sen. Dave Rader of Tulsa echoed Munson, adding that “it’s never too late to do the right thing.”
“In granting clemency to Mr. Wood, the Governor has, indeed, made the just choice. Due to the many and continued mistakes, errors and blunders in the prosecution of Mr. Wood, Oklahoma taxpayers have foot the bill for unnecessary legal and DOC expenses,” Rader said. “And, because of those errors, carrying out this execution would have been an irreversible mistake. Even the victim’s family asked that the execution be blocked. All Oklahomans should know the Governor acted justly in granting clemency.”
Like Rader, state Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, praised Stitt’s clemency decision.
'I support the governor's decision,' Humphrey said in a media statement. 'The Oklahoma public needs to know that this pardon is based on judicial corruption. I will continue fighting to make sure all corruption in our legal and judicial system and in our state agencies and government is kept before the public until it is rooted out. Justice was secured for Mr. Wood today and for his family and even for the victim's family in this crime, but we must not give up our efforts to secure justice for all.'
Attorney General upset by clemency decision Still, not every public official was pleased by Stitt’s action.
In a statement issued shortly after the governor’s action, Attorney General Gentner Drummond said he was disappointed in the decision to grant clemency to Wood.
Drummond said Wood, during his time in prison, possessed multiple contraband cellphones which he used to distribute drugs and engage in gang violence.
“The State provided the Pardon and Parole Board earlier this month a video of a beating paid for by Wood, a video Wood insisted be sent to him,” the attorney general said in a media statement.
“I am disappointed that the governor has granted clemency for this dangerous murderer, but respect that this was his decision to make,” Drummond said. “My office will continue working to ensure that Tremane Wood remains behind bars and that the public is protected from him.”
Wood found unresponsive in cell, taken for treatment While the governor’s action prevents Wood from being executed, concerns have arisen about the inmate’s heath. Not long after the governor’s clemency ruling, correction officials said Wood met with his attorneys for several hours, then began the process of moving off death row.
However, during a routine check, Wood was found unresponsive in his cell by a correctional officer, Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesperson Kay Thompson said.
“While settling into his new cell, Wood experienced a medical event that resulted in injuries. Out of extreme caution, ODOC transported Wood to a nearby hospital for further examination. It was determined that Wood’s medical event occurred due to dehydration and stress,” Thompson said.
Thompson said she spoke with Wood who confirmed that he “[felt] fine now” and that he “can't really explain what happened.”
“He stated that he laid down to sleep and ‘must have rolled off his bunk,’” Thompson said in a media statement. “The next thing he remembers was waking ‘up in the infirmary with [his] head busted and [his] lip busted.’ Wood said that the last time he ate or drank anything was during his ‘last meal’ at 5:22 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12.”
Thompson said Wood confirmed that no one else was in his cell at the time of the medical event and that he did not do anything intentionally to cause it.
“After returning from the hospital, Wood spoke with his family,” she said.