Latest news with #OklahomaDepartmentofCorrections
Toronto Sun
12-06-2025
- Toronto Sun
Oklahoma executes a man who was transferred from federal custody by Trump officials
Published Jun 12, 2025 • 2 minute read FILE - This March 4, 2025, photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows John Fitzgerald Hanson. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP,File) AP McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma executed a man Thursday whose transfer to state custody was expedited by the Trump administration. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account John Fitzgerald Hanson, 61, received a three-drug lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was pronounced dead at 10:11 a.m., prison officials said. Hanson was sentenced to die after he was convicted of carjacking, kidnapping and killing a Tulsa woman in 1999. Hanson, whose name in some federal court records is George John Hanson, had been serving a life sentence in federal prison in Louisiana for several unrelated federal convictions. Federal officials transferred him to Oklahoma custody in March to follow through on President Donald Trump's sweeping executive order to more actively support the death penalty. Hanson's attorneys argued in a last-minute appeal that he did not receive a fair clemency hearing last month, claiming that one of the board members who denied him clemency was biased because he worked for the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office when Hanson was prosecuted. A district court judge this week issued a temporary stay halting the execution, but that was later vacated. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Prosecutors alleged Hanson and accomplice, Victor Miller, kidnapped Mary Bowles from a Tulsa shopping mall. Prosecutors alleged the pair drove Bowles to a gravel pit near Owasso, where Miller shot and killed property owner Jerald Thurman. The two then drove Bowles a short distance away, where Hanson shot and killed Bowles, according to prosecutors. Miller received a no-parole life prison sentence for his role in the crimes. During last month's clemency hearing, Hanson expressed remorse for his involvement in the crimes and apologized to the victims' families. 'I'm not an evil person,' Hanson said via a video link from the prison. 'I was caught in a situation I couldn't control. I can't change the past, but I would if I could.' Hanson's attorneys acknowledged he participated in the kidnapping and carjacking, but said there was no definitive evidence that he shot and killed Bowles. They painted Hanson as a troubled youth with autism and who was controlled and manipulated by the domineering Miller. Both Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and his predecessor, John O'Connor, had sought Hanson's transfer during President Joe Biden's administration, but the U.S. Bureau of Prisons denied it, saying the transfer was not in the public interest. World Celebrity World Sunshine Girls NHL
Business Wire
05-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
The GEO Group Announces It Has Entered Into a Purchase Agreement to Sell Company-Owned Lawton Correctional Facility in Oklahoma for $312 Million
BUSINESS WIRE)-- The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) ('GEO' or the 'Company') announced today that it has entered into a purchase agreement with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for the sale of the GEO-owned Lawton Correctional Facility (the 'Facility') located in Lawton, Oklahoma for $312 million. The sale of the Facility is expected to close on July 25, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and GEO expects to transition Facility operations to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections simultaneously on July 25, 2025. GEO expects to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Facility to pay down debt and for general corporate purposes. George C. Zoley, Executive Chairman of GEO, said, 'The sale of our Company-owned Lawton Correctional Facility is expected to be a significant deleveraging event for our Company. We believe that this important transaction is representative of the intrinsic value of our Company-owned facilities, which total more than 52,000 beds. Our Management Team and Board of Directors remain focused on the disciplined allocation of capital to enhance long-term value for our shareholders.' About The GEO Group The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO's diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO's worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 98 facilities totaling approximately 77,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees. Use of forward-looking statements This news release may contain 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the full cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including those referenced above. GEO disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The GEO Group Announces It Has Entered Into a Purchase Agreement to Sell Company-Owned Lawton Correctional Facility in Oklahoma for $312 Million
BOCA RATON, Fla., June 05, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) ("GEO" or the "Company") announced today that it has entered into a purchase agreement with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for the sale of the GEO-owned Lawton Correctional Facility (the "Facility") located in Lawton, Oklahoma for $312 million. The sale of the Facility is expected to close on July 25, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and GEO expects to transition Facility operations to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections simultaneously on July 25, 2025. GEO expects to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Facility to pay down debt and for general corporate purposes. George C. Zoley, Executive Chairman of GEO, said, "The sale of our Company-owned Lawton Correctional Facility is expected to be a significant deleveraging event for our Company. We believe that this important transaction is representative of the intrinsic value of our Company-owned facilities, which total more than 52,000 beds. Our Management Team and Board of Directors remain focused on the disciplined allocation of capital to enhance long-term value for our shareholders." About The GEO GroupThe GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO's diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO's worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 98 facilities totaling approximately 77,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees. Use of forward-looking statementsThis news release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the full cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including those referenced above. GEO disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. View source version on Contacts Pablo E. Paez, (866) 301 4436Executive Vice President, Corporate Relations Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oklahoma judge sentences 'Chiefsaholic' in Tulsa robbery
TULSA, Okla. — An Oklahoma judge added more prison time to a well-known Chiefs fan known as 'Chiefsaholic' and for his string of robberies across the country to fund his obsession with the Super Bowl team. On Monday, Xavier Babudar, 30, was sentenced to 34 years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Both his state and his 17.5-year federal sentence will run together. Upon completing his federal sentence, he will serve 14.5 years in the Oklahoma prison system. Babudar's robbery spree over seven states enabled him to purchase expensive tickets to Kansas City Chiefs games and cultivate a large online following as 'Chiefsaholic,' a knockoff of the Chiefs' official mascot, K.C. Wolf. The Chief's Superfan pleaded guilty in Tulsa District Court to robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault while masked or disguised in connection with a 2022 robbery of the Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union in Bixby, Oklahoma. He also pleaded to remove an electronic monitoring device. The Kansas City Chiefs Superfan confessed to holding the bank employee at gunpoint and ordered her to open the vault, while he stole $139,000. Payton Garcia, the victim of the robbery, filed a civil suit against Babudar and was awarded $1.6 million for losses, $2 million for emotional damages, and $7.2 million in punitive damages. He is currently serving a 17-year federal sentence in Leavenworth, Kan., for a string of robberies in seven states that funded his obsession with the Kansas City Chiefs. Babudar's attorney asked for 22 years, saying, 'Babudar pleaded guilty to all counts and is taking responsibility for his actions. He is extremely remorseful and is fully prepared to serve his sentence and work to rehabilitate himself from his transgressions,' court records show. According to a brief filed in May, Tulsa prosecutors countered the 22-year sentence with a life sentence: 'This Court lacks any legitimate evidence of rehabilitative intent; it only has evidence of propensity to recidivate. At 29 years of age, Babudar's youth suggests a long recidivism risk.' Babudar made a 'mockery of Oklahoma law on a national stage when he exploited the court's bond leniency to resume his crime spree.' OKLAHOMA STATE'S BRIEF AS TO SENTENCING 'His disregard for Oklahoma law deepened as he committed two additional bank robberies while a fugitive: specifically, the robbery of Heritage Bank in Sparks, Nevada, and the robbery of U.S. Bank in El Dorado Hills, California,' the brief states. 'He engaged in these crimes with similar violent tactics- terrorizing bank employees through the threat of a weapon,' the state continued. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
19-year-old convicted for 2023 Oklahoma State Fair shooting
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A 19-year-old man has been convicted for a shooting that took place at the Oklahoma State Fair in September 2023. The Oklahoma County jury found 19-year-old Canaan Jenkins guilty on Friday after being arrested and charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon for a shooting that occurred at the 2023 Oklahoma State Fair. RELATED: 'Where am I safe?': OK State Fair confirms teen shooter didn't go through detector, officials still uncertain of how he got in During the State Fair on September 23, 2023, Oklahoma City Police were called to reports of a shooting at the Bennett Event Center. Upon arrival, officers found one victim with a gunshot wound. They were transported to a local hospital, where the victim was treated for the wound for three weeks before being released The suspect, Jenkins, had fled the scene after the shooting, but officers were able to find him and take him in for questioning at the Oklahoma City Police Department headquarters. RELATED: 'Something just came over me': 14-year-old performs life saving measure on OK State Fair shooting victim Jenkins had originally denied being the shooter but would eventually admit to the crime, claiming to be the suspect and that he fired his weapon in self-defense after a fight had happened, according to the release. The jury, after finding Jenkins to be guilty of the crime, sentenced him to eight years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. A formal sentencing is scheduled in court on June 30. Jenkins entered a blind plea for a conjoint robbery that happened on September 22, 2023, one day before the shooting at the State Fair. He could face anywhere from the minimum sentence of five years to a maximum of 50 years in prison. He will be sentenced for the conjoint robbery also on June 30. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
