Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt pardoned a death row inmate, commuting his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The clemency notice came shortly before Tremaine Wood, 46, was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Thursday.
Wood was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 2004 for his role in the fatal stabbing of farm worker Ronnie Wipf during a robbery. The victim's family told the parole board they oppose Wood's execution.
Hours after Wood was saved from execution, he was found unconscious in his cell and taken to a hospital, officials said. He later reported that he was feeling well again.
Officials said they determined the incident was due to dehydration and stress. Wood was quoted as saying he had not eaten or drunk anything since Wednesday evening, when he was believed to have last eaten.
In announcing the pardon, Stitt said, “After careful analysis of the facts and prayerful consideration, I have decided to accept the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Tremaine Wood's sentence to life without parole.”
This is the second time Stitt has pardoned a death row inmate since becoming governor in 2019.
Wood's lawyers acknowledged that he took part in a botched robbery on New Year's Eve 2001, but denied that he stabbed Wipf at a motel in Oklahoma City. His older brother Zayton Wood pleaded guilty to murder and died in prison in 2019.
“This action mirrors the same punishment his brother received for killing an innocent young man and ensures a severe sentence that will keep a violent criminal off the streets forever,” Stitt added in a statement.
Wood's lawyer, Amanda Bass Castro-Alves, welcomed the pardon decision.
“We are deeply grateful for the moral courage and leadership that Governor Stitt showed in showing mercy to Tremaine,” Ms Castro-Alves told the BBC. “This decision honors the wishes of Mr. Wipf's family and the surviving victim, and we hope it brings them some measure of peace.”
They claim Wood was given an unfair trial and accuse his then-lawyer, John Barry Albert, of ineffectively defending him because he became addicted to drugs and alcohol during the trial. In 2006, the Oklahoma Supreme Court briefly suspended Albert's law license for drug and alcohol abuse.
Earlier this month, the state parole board voted 3-2 to recommend clemency instead of execution. Wipf's family and his friend Arnold Kleinsasser, who survived the robbery, agreed with this recommendation. Governor Stitt praised their willingness to forgive.
“I pray for the family of Ronnie Wipf and for the surviving victim Arnie; they are models of Christian forgiveness and love,” he said.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond expressed disappointment in Stitt's pardon.
“My office will continue to work to ensure that Tremaine Wood remains behind bars and that the public is protected from him,” he said, according to local station KSWO.
There have been two executions in Oklahoma this year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. In 2024, the state executed four prisoners.
