Republican governor spares life of death row inmate in final hours before execution

A man set to be executed Thursday was pardoned by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, just hours before he was scheduled to be killed.

Tremane Wood, 46, was sentenced to death for stabbing and killing 19-year-old farmworker Ronnie Wipf on New Year's Day in 2002 during a robbery in Oklahoma City.

Wood's attorneys said during his clemency hearing that his brother, Zjaiton, was the person who fatally stabbed Wipf during the robbery, though he died in prison in 2019, according to a report from the Associated Press.

During his time in prison, Zjaiton allegedly admitted to killing several people, including Wipf, according to the report.

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Stitt heeded a recommendation from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, which voted 3-2 Nov. 5 recommending clemency for Wood. 

"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 wrote in a statement. 

"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. In Oklahoma, we will continue to hold accountable those who commit violent crimes, delivering justice, safeguarding our communities, and respecting the rule of law," he added. "I pray for the family of Ronnie Wipf and for the surviving victim, Arnie; they are models of Christian forgiveness and love."

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The Attorney General's Office opposed the decision, noting Wood used multiple contraband cellphones to distribute drugs and engage in gang violence while incarcerated. 

The state provided the Pardon and Parole Board with a video allegedly showing a beating paid for by Wood, which he insisted be sent to him.

"After this dangerous criminal took a young man's life, he stayed fully active in the criminal world from behind bars," Attorney General Gentner Drummond wrote in a statement. "I am disappointed by the Pardon and Parole Board's decision today but appreciate their thoughtful deliberation. My office will continue to pursue justice for Ronnie Wipf. We intend to make our case to the governor on why clemency should not be granted and why the death sentence, as determined by a jury, should be carried out."

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The Tremane Wood Foundation noted that the jury was nearly all White, with one Black juror. The Legal Defense Fund also claimed that Wood's defense attorney did not handle the case properly.

"Mr. Wood was failed by our criminal legal system in a number of ways, including through poor legal representation and by a trial that may have been infected by racial bias. And he has spent his life in prison as a result," the organization wrote in a statement. "… Oklahoma's clemency board has made clear that Wood should not die nor does the victim's family seek his death."

The governor has only granted clemency one other time in his seven years in office.

Only half a dozen prisoners have been granted clemency in Oklahoma since 1972.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.