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Oklahoma spares death row inmate hours before planned execution

November 14, 2025

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt commuted the death sentence of Tremane Wood, 46, to life imprisonment without parole just hours before his scheduled execution for a 2001 fatal stabbing during a robbery. The governor accepted a state parole board's clemency recommendation that was supported by the victim's family and a surviving witness, who publicly forgave Wood and opposed his execution. Wood's defense attorneys argued his original trial was compromised because his lawyer was struggling with substance abuse, and they maintained Wood did not commit the actual stabbing, though he participated in the robbery.

Who is affected

  • Tremane Wood (death row prisoner whose sentence was commuted)
  • The family of Ronnie Wipf (murder victim)
  • Arnold Kleinsasser (surviving robbery victim)
  • Governor Kevin Stitt
  • Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond
  • Amanda Bass Castro-Alves (Wood's attorney)
  • Zjaiton Wood (deceased older brother who pleaded guilty to the murder)
  • John Barry Albert (Wood's original trial attorney)

What action is being taken

  • Governor Stitt is granting clemency and commuting Wood's sentence to life in prison without parole
  • Officials are providing medical treatment to Wood at a hospital following his health incident
  • The Attorney General's office is working to ensure Wood remains behind bars

Why it matters

  • This clemency decision is significant because it represents a rare exercise of executive mercy in a state with an active death penalty system, marking only the second such commutation by Governor Stitt since 2019. The case highlights the importance of victim and survivor input in criminal justice decisions, as the victim's family's forgiveness and opposition to execution influenced the outcome. It also raises important questions about trial fairness and the effectiveness of legal representation, particularly when defense attorneys are impaired by substance abuse. The decision demonstrates how religious values of forgiveness and moral considerations can impact capital punishment decisions in the justice system.

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC

Oklahoma spares death row inmate hours before planned execution