‘Please save my son’s life’: Family of Oklahoma death row inmate makes emotional plea to governor
By Alyse Jones
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — The life of a convicted murderer now rests in the hands of Oklahoma’s governor.
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 Wednesday to recommend clemency for Tremane Wood, convicted of murder, ahead of his scheduled Nov. 13 execution. The board’s decision was based on claims that Tremane’s attorney more than 20 years ago failed to adequately represent him.
Tremane’s family made an emotional plea to the governor.
“We’re more than thankful for the clemency board doing this. They didn’t have to grant my uncle clemency, but they saw what Oklahoma has done is wrong to my uncle and how they treat him. The injustice in his trials, they finally saw everything, and I’m glad they granted him clemency because he deserves it. He really does,” Brooklyn Wood, Tremane’s niece, said.
Tremane Wood was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2002 murder of 19-year-old Ronnie Wipf.
“My uncle is not a monster. He’s not,” Andreyana Wood, Tremane’s niece, said.
The board’s recommendation marks the first step in potentially sparing his life, with the final decision resting with Stitt.
“Gov. Stitt, if you hear this, as one last act of human compassion while you are in office, please, please save my son’s life. His life is in your hands now,” Linda Wood, Tremane’s mother, said.
Since Gov. Stitt took office, the Pardon and Parole Board has recommended clemency in four cases, but he has granted clemency only once, in 2021 for Julius Jones.
During his tenure, 16 people have been executed.
The board said death penalty cases require a high bar.
“You’re asking and the state of Oklahoma is asking the board to approve an execution of a man who’s been convicted of murder. Not every inmate convicted of murder gets the death penalty, so I think this is a little different case than normal,” a board member said.
Tremane’s family is now begging Stitt to side with the board and the bar they set.
“In a perfect world, we would love for him to come home. He has done enough time for his role in this, but as long as his life is spared, we can deal with whatever else happens. Commuted to life without, we can deal with that. He’s still alive and breathing on this earth,” Linda said.
Stitt’s office released a statement Wednesday afternoon on the clemency hearing.
“Governor Stitt will follow the same process he does following every clemency recommendation. He will meet with the defendant’s attorneys, the attorney general’s office, and the victim’s family to ensure he has all the information needed to make a decision. He does not take the process lightly,” officials withing Stitt’s office wrote.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond voiced his disappointment in the board’s decision and plans to urge Stitt to uphold the jury’s original sentence.
Tremane’s attorney released a statement to KOCO 5 after the clemency recommendation. Read the full statement below:
“We are grateful to the Board for carefully considering all of the evidence showing that Tremane’s death sentence is excessive and is the direct result of a trial lawyer who abandoned him and who failed to give the jury all the information it needed to reach a fair and reliable decision over his punishment. The Board’s clemency recommendation today restores public faith that, when confronted with manifest miscarriages of justice, criminal justice system actors can, and will, intercede to correct course and prevent those from occurring. Given the facts that Tremane is facing execution for a felony murder conviction where he did not kill anyone, where the confessed killer received a life sentence and is now deceased, and where the victims have also publicly called for mercy for Tremane, we hope Governor Stitt will accept the Board’s recommendation and agree that clemency is warranted in this case,” said Amanda Bass Castro-Alves, an attorney for Tremane.
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