OKLAHOMA CITY — Minutes before a scheduled execution, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt granted clemency for Tremane Wood on Nov. 13.
Stitt accepted the Pardon and Parole Board's recommendation to sentence Woods to life in prison without parole.
WATCH: Gov. Stitt grants clemency for Tremane Wood
In a statement Stitt says, “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. In Oklahoma, we will continue to hold accountable those who commit violent crimes, delivering justice, safeguarding our communities, and respecting the rule of law. I pray for the family of Ronnie Wipf and for the surviving victim, Arnie; they are models of Christian forgiveness and love.”
Wood was sentenced to death after a jury convicted him in the 2001 murder of Ronnie Wipf.
On Nov. 5, the Pardon and Parole Board recommended clemency for Wood.
2 News Oklahoma talked to a friend of Wood's while awaiting the governor's decision:
In recent months, Attorney General Gentner Drummond has been encouraging Stitt to deny clemency, accusing Wood of storing contraband cellphones and drugs in prison.
Jo Ann Bly got to the Saint Benedict chapel around 9:00am, praying that Governor Stitt would overturn Wood's death sentence.
He was scheduled to be executed at 10. Just minutes before, Stitt granting that clemency, changing his sentence to life without parole. Bly didn't find out until we told her just before our interview.
"What was your reaction to hearing he was granted clemency?"
Jo Ann Bly, who opposes death penalty, said, "Praise the Lord and thank you for the clemency. And why did it take until that last second?"
"That family lost their son," she said. "That can't be replaced. I don't condone that at all. But I don't condone that this balances that out."
"We wouldn't treat a dog the way we treat people on death row," she said.
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