Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has granted clemency to death row inmate Tremane Wood, commuting his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole just hours before he was scheduled to be executed Thursday.
According to The Associated Press, Stitt, who has served nearly seven years as governor, said he decided after “a thorough review of the facts and prayerful consideration.”
“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,” Stitt said in a statement announcing the decision.
Wood, 46, had been sentenced to death for the 2002 killing of 19-year-old Ronnie Wipf, a migrant farmworker from Montana, during a botched robbery at a hotel in north Oklahoma City. His brother, Zjaiton Wood, received a life sentence without parole for the same crime and later admitted to being the one who fatally stabbed Wipf before dying in prison in 2019.
In his executive order, Stitt specified that Wood “shall not be eligible to apply for or be considered for a commutation, pardon, or parole for the rest of his life.” The decision marks only the second time Stitt has granted clemency during his tenure.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond expressed disappointment with the outcome. “I am disappointed that the governor has granted clemency for this dangerous murderer, but respect that this was his decision to make,” Drummond said.
Wood’s attorney, Amanda Bass Castro Alves, said she and her team were “profoundly grateful” for the governor’s action. “This decision honors the wishes of Mr. Wipf’s family and the surviving victim, and we hope it allows them a measure of peace,” she said.
The state’s Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 last week to recommend clemency. During the hearing, Wood’s lawyers argued that his trial attorney had been ineffective and that prosecutors failed to disclose key evidence, including deals made with witnesses.
Former prosecutor George Burnett, who worked on the original case, criticized how much power the parole board holds. “Ronnie Wipf is buried on a lonely hill somewhere on the plains of Montana, and when his family visits him, they wonder what might have been,” he said.
Wood testified via video from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, admitting his role in the robbery but denying that he was the killer. “I’m not a monster. I’m not a killer. I never was and I never have been,” he told the panel.
While Wood’s attorneys unsuccessfully appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution, Stitt’s last-minute decision ensured he would spend the rest of his life behind bars.
