JULIUS Jones is set to be executed later today (Thursday, November 18, 2021) unless the Oklahoma governor intervenes.
The death row inmate's case has ignited debates across the globe after gaining international media attention.
When is Julius Jones' execution?
Julius Jones is set to be executed on Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 4pm CT.
The now 41-year-old has spent over half of his life behind bars after he was convicted of killing 45-year-old Oklahoma businessman Paul Howell.
The dad was shot in his 1997 GMC Suburban in the wealthy suburb of Edmond during a carjacking after returning home from getting ice cream with his daughters.
Jones was a 19-year-old student at the University of Oklahoma on the verge of gaining a basketball scholarship when he became the prime suspect in the murder case in August 1999.
In 2002, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death at just 22 years old.
But Jones has long maintained his innocence and claims he was eating dinner with his family when the fatal shots rang out.
He claims he was framed by his former friend Chris Jordan – who testified at the trial that he was the "getaway driver" while Jones allegedly shot Howell.
Jordan took a plea deal and served 15 years in prison. He is now free.
Jones' attorneys say his trial was shrouded by racial bias and that his original lawyer did not adequately defend him.
Where will Julius Jones be executed?
After being sentenced to death and 40 years in prison in 2002, Jones is set to be executed by the state of Oklahoma.
His loved ones visited him for the last time at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, the day before his scheduled execution.
Jones has now lost his visitation and phone privileges, according to reports.
He will be put to death by the controversial lethal injection, despite the state taking a six-year hiatus from its use after a series of botched executions.
Jones' case received renewed attention a few years ago when it was profiled in The Last Defense, a three-episode documentary produced by actress Viola Davis in 2018.
The 41-year-old death row inmate's fight for freedom has gained support from around the globe as well as a string of A-listers, including Kim Kardashian, NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield and NBA star Russell Westbrook.
Can his execution be overturned?
Jones has spent over 20 years proclaiming his innocence – but his family have been left begging Oklahoma's governor to consider a last-minute reversal.
Kevin Stitt has been called on to stop the execution from high-profile figures and politicians from around the world.
But the Republican has yet to announce whether he will accept the recommendation from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, which voted 3-1.
They want Stitt to commute Jones' sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Mass protests are being staged across Oklahoma while the European Union's ambassador to the US requested he stopped the execution.
A petition to revoke his death sentence has gained over 6 million signatures.
Jones filed for clemency in October 2019 after exhausting all of his options to fight the death penalty.
On October 27, 2021, Jones was granted a stay of execution as the date loomed closer.
However, the state attorney general’s office released a statement saying that it plans to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court.
The statement read: "We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will vacate the stay so that justice can finally be served for the people of Oklahoma, including the families of the victims of these horrific crimes."
Then on October 28, after Supreme Court review, it was announced that a request to vacate the stays of execution for Jones was granted.
The fate of Julius Jones. now remains firmly in Governor Stitt's hands.
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