TULSA, Okla. — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt reversed course Thursday, revoking the parole of a former Tulsa police officer who killed a woman with a crossbow in 1982.
Jimmie Dean Stohler, 69, killed 30-year-old Michele Rae Powers with a crossbow and poisoned-tip arrow just outside her apartment on Cherry Street. A jury convicted Stohler of first-degree murder and soliciting murder.
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 4-0 to recommend him for parole, and Stitt granted it initially.
In Oklahoma for an offender convicted of a violent crime to be eligible for parole "they must serve 85% of their sentence to be eligible for parole consideration. The list of violent offenses are listed in Title 57 of Oklahoma Statutes. When an offender receives a favorable recommendation by the Pardon and Parole Board for a violent crime, the recommendation is then sent to the Governor for final approval."
Former Gov. Mary Fallin previously denied a request for Stohler's parole.
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