The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted today to recommend clemency for death row inmate Julius Jones. Jones testified today before the board and said he wanted to make two things clear.
"First I feel for the Howell family and for the tragic loss of Mr. Paul Howell, from what I've heard was a caring and good person and father," said Jones. "Second, I am not the person responsible for taking Mr. Howell's life."
The case has gotten national attention with high-profile celebrities like Kim Kardashian West insisting he's innocent. Jones, who is Black, was convicted of the 1998 fatal shooting of Paul Howell, who is white, during a carjacking. The board voted 3 to 1 to recommend to Governor Stitt that Jones' death sentence be commuted to life with the possibility of parole. State prosecutors argued there is nothing about his case that deserves clemency. Assistant State Attorney General Jennifer Crabb said Jones' conviction and sentence have been affirmed 'at every turn.'