Update: November 19, 2021. Governor Kevin Stitt has commuted Julius Jones’ death sentence. Read more.
By Sarah Sinning
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The Oklahoma City Police Department has set up water-filled barriers outside the governor’s mansion as death-row inmate Julius Jones is scheduled to be executed Thursday, KOKH reports.
https://twitter.com/photogbenlatham/status/1460727118581706757/video/1
Jones, who was sentenced to death for the 1999 murder of businessman Paul Howell, has long maintained his innocence, and his supporters have been holding increasingly large vigils outside the governor’s residence in the days leading up to his execution date.
While the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board twice voted to recommend Jones’ sentence be commuted, each time citing doubts about evidence in the case, Governor Kevin Stitt has not indicated whether he will take any action to stay the execution.
In a tweet, OKCPD said they were erecting the barriers at the request of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety “to provide a safe place for those who show up for peaceful gatherings.”
Jones’ case has attracted several high-profile supporters, including Kim Kardashian West and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.