Death Penalty

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 4-1 yesterday to grant clemency to Kevin Young, who is scheduled to be executed on July 22^nd. The Board's action to recommend commutation of his sentence is encouraging, but the final decision of whether Young lives or dies now belongs to Governor Brad Henry. Three jurors from the original trial have also played a crucial role in appealing for clemency, stating that they regret the role they played in sentencing Kevin Young to death. This clip from an Oklahoma news channel shows footage of the Pardon and Parole Board hearing, as well as Kevin Young and the three jurors speaking.

Executive clemency exists to address mistakes that the courts cannot address in trials. In Kevin Young's case, there is no doubt that his culpability was magnified in the absence of evidence and to guarantee a conviction. Kevin Young was sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of Joseph Sutton. Kevin Young and Antwuan Jackson entered an Oklahoma City restaurant with the intention of robbery, where Sutton ran a gambling operation in a back room. One of the two men fired his gun in the air, and Sutton proceeded to pull out his own gun. Young stated in his appeal to the Board that he never meant to hurt anyone, and only fired after being shot by Sutton. Young was not sure himself if he or Jackson had killed Sutton. He was identified at the hospital by a crumpled shirt that a witness said was a similar red to the one that the gunman had been wearing.

Oklahoma's own Court of Criminal Appeals characterized the crime as a robbery where "things went amiss" and in which there was no evidence to conclude who had fired the fatal shot. Antwuan Jackson was acquitted on all counts. Young's defense lawyer at his trial argued that capital punishment should be reserved for the "worst of the worst", something which is clearly not consistent with Young's death sentence conviction and the circumstances of the case.

The Pardon and Parole Board's decision is a huge victory for Young, and we appreciate their decision and hope that it gives Kevin Young some peace of mind. However, in the three times that the Parole Board has recommended commutation to Governor Brad Henry, he has only granted clemency once. Governor Henry spared Osbaldo Torres' life, a foreign national, while under pressure from international groups. With the Board's new recommendation, it is immensely important that we continue sending clemency letters to Governor Henry, and hopefully we will make Kevin Young's case the second commutation out of four! Please take the time to take action for Young's life, and let Governor Henry know that speaking out for Kevin Young matters.

Emily

DPAC