An Oklahoma death row inmate who was granted clemency
just moments before his scheduled execution on Thursday, November 13, was later
found unresponsive in his cell, authorities confirmed.
Tremane Wood, 46,
had been awaiting a lethal injection when Governor Kevin Stitt commuted
his sentence to life without parole. Hours after the decision, correctional
officers discovered him unresponsive during a routine check, said Department of
Corrections spokeswoman Kay Thompson.
Prison officials later determined that dehydration
and stress triggered Wood’s medical episode. He was treated and reported to
be stable and alert by Thursday evening.
In a recorded interview released by the Department of
Corrections, Wood said he had been alone in his cell when he lay down and
likely rolled off his bunk after losing consciousness.
“I didn’t have all my senses,” Wood explained. “I woke
up in the infirmary with my head busted and my lip busted, and that’s pretty
much it right there.”
Wood also said he had not eaten since the previous day
and insisted he did not attempt to harm himself. At the end of the recording,
he added a message: “Tell Governor Stitt I said thank you.”
Wood was waiting in a holding cell adjacent to the
state’s death chamber when he received news of the commutation. His clemency
plea had been supported by the family of Ronnie Wipf, the 19-year-old
victim who was fatally stabbed during a robbery attempt in 2002. Wipf grew up
in a Hutterite religious community in Montana.
In announcing his decision, Governor Stitt praised the
family’s “Christian forgiveness and love.”
Wood has long maintained that he was not the attacker,
claiming his brother—who died in prison while serving a life sentence—was
responsible for the deadly stabbing.
This marks only the second time in nearly seven
years that the Republican governor has granted clemency. Stitt emphasized that
his decision still ensures a severe penalty:
“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.”
Under the governor’s order, Wood is permanently barred
from any future commutation, pardon, or parole.
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