Latest news with #OklahomaPardonandParoleBoard
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma executes John Fitzgerald Hanson for 1999 murder of elderly Tulsa woman
McALESTER — A convicted murderer has been executed in Oklahoma as a direct result of President Donald Trump's return to office. John Fitzgerald Hanson, 61, was pronounced dead at 10:11 a.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. He had been scheduled for execution on Dec. 15, 2022, but the Biden administration refused to return him to Oklahoma from a federal prison in Louisiana. The transfer went through on March 1, weeks after Trump began his second term. He was executed for the fatal shooting of Mary Agnes Bowles, who was kidnapped from the parking lot of a Tulsa mall on Aug. 31, 1999. The victim was 77. Hanson and an accomplice, Victor Miller, wanted the retired banker's car for a robbery spree. Hanson has always denied being the shooter, his attorneys said. Hanson had been serving a life sentence, plus 82 years, at the U.S. Penitentiary in Pollock, Louisiana, for federal crimes involving the robbery spree. Oklahoma's attorney general, Gentner Drummond, sought Hanson's transfer after Trump issued an executive order on his first day back in office "restoring" the death penalty. "It is the policy of the United States to ensure that the laws that authorize capital punishment are respected and faithfully implemented, and to counteract the politicians and judges who subvert the law by obstructing and preventing the execution of capital sentences," Trump stated in his order. President Joe Biden opposed the death penalty. In December, he commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row. The execution Thursday was the 17th in Oklahoma since lethal injections resumed in October 2021 after a long hiatus brought about by drug mix-ups and botched procedures. It was the third in the United States this week. A fourth execution is scheduled for Friday in South Carolina. The retired banker was from Tulsa. She was kidnapped after walking at the Promenade Mall for exercise. She had done volunteer work earlier that day at a Tulsa hospital in the intensive care unit for babies. The two men took her in her car to a dirt pit near Owasso. There, the accomplice shot Jerald Thurman, the owner of the dirt pit, after he spotted them on his property, according to trial testimony. Thurman died about two weeks later. Hanson shot Bowles four to six times in a ditch near the dirt pit. Her body wasn't found for days. The stolen Buick broke down after the two men went to a motel in Tulsa. They abandoned the car there. Hanson also was convicted of the dirt pit owner's murder and sentenced for that crime to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The accomplice, Miller, was given life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders after death sentences were thrown out on appeal. He is now 62. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 on May 7 to deny Hanson clemency. The vote meant Gov. Kevin Stitt could not consider commuting his sentence. At his clemency hearing, he told the board members he was not an evil person. "I haven't lived my life inclined to do wrong," he said. "I was caught in a situation I couldn't control. Things were happening so fast, and at the spur of the moment, due to my lack of decisiveness and fear, I responded incorrectly, and two people lost their lives. "I can't change the past, and I would if I could." His attorneys and death penalty opponents said he was autistic and easily manipulated. His attorneys also contended there was overwhelming evidence that the accomplice was the one who actually shot Bowles. Hanson did not testify at his 2001 trial in Tulsa County District Court. He also did not testify at a 2006 resentencing trial. More: 'A remarkable development': States expanding their execution methods to firing squad, more His attorneys tried to stop his execution, complaining in lawsuits about his transfer to Oklahoma and his clemency hearing. They also made a last-minute claim of newly discovered evidence about a key prosecution witness. An Oklahoma County judge granted Hanson a temporary stay on Monday so his lawsuit over his clemency hearing could be considered. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Wednesday the judge did not have that authority. The execution went forward after the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday denied his last requests for emergency stays. Hanson did not request anything special for his last meal Wednesday, a Department of Corrections spokeswoman said. He did get what was served other inmates − chicken pot pie, two rolls, two fruit cups and carrots. Witnessing the execution were reporters for The Oklahoman, The Associated Press, the Tulsa World, a Tulsa television station and the online news site NonDoc. A storm that produced a tornado Saturday caused damage to the warden's mansion at the penitentiary when a massive tree fell. The mansion was already under renovation. The storm downed trees across McAlester and knocked a wall off one brick building. The street in front of the building was still closed Thursday. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: John Fitzgerald Hanson executed in Oklahoma, a result of Trump's win
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Panel denies clemency for Oklahoma killer
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board on Wednesday voted to deny clemency for John Fitzgerald Hanson, who is set to die June 12 for the 1999 slaying of Mary Bowles. (Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.) OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board on Wednesday voted 3-2 to decline to recommend clemency for Tulsa County killer John Fitzgerald Hanson. Hanson, also known as George John Hanson, is set to die June 12 by lethal injection at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. He was sentenced to death for the 1999 shooting death of Mary Bowles, 77, a retired bank executive whom he and his accomplice, Jerald Thurman, abducted from a Tulsa mall. Bowles was shot four to six times and found at a dirt pit near Owasso. A bystander, Jerald Thurman, was also killed. 'Now is the time for him to atone for the pain and suffering he has wrought,' said Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. 'Justice will be delivered when the death penalty is rightly served on June 12.' George John Hanson, also known as John Fitzgerald Hanson, was sentenced to death for the 1999 murder of Mary Bowles. (Photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections) Hanson was homeless, developmentally disabled and didn't get a fair shot at presenting mitigating evidence, said Callie Heller, his attorney. 'As of today, three jurors have come forward with concerns about their death verdict after learning the facts they never heard at trial,' she said. Hanson has expressed remorse and taken responsibility for his role in the crime, she said. A more culpable defendant is serving life, she said. Hanson, who was imprisoned for an unrelated crime in Louisiana, was transferred in March to Oklahoma so his execution could be carried out. The transfer had previously been blocked by the Democrat Joe Biden's administration, but Republican Donald Trump's administration cleared the way for Hanson's transfer back to Oklahoma. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pardon and Parole Board votes to deny clemency for death row inmate John Hanson
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted to deny clemency for death row inmate John Hanson on Wednesday, May 7. Officials say Hanson and an accomplice carjacked and kidnapped 77-year-old Mary Bowles in Tulsa in 1999. Before she was shot to death, Hanson and his accomplice shot Jerald Thurman, an innocent bystander. LOCAL NEWS: Police searching for suspects after shooting leaves one injured in NW OKC 'The families of Mary Bowles and Jerald Thurman have waited more than a quarter-century to see justice carried out against this callous murderer,' Drummond said. 'I appreciate the Pardon and Parole Board for rejecting clemency today. The Biden Administration protected this monster from justice for too long. Now is the time for him to atone for the pain and suffering he has wrought. Justice will be delivered when the death penalty is rightly served on June 12.' According to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, Hanson was transferred from a Louisiana federal prison in March at his request. 'We heard that John Hanson is a changed man, a responsible and trustworthy member of his prison community and that he expresses remorse for the senseless murder of Mary Bowles. By refusing mercy, the State will now carry out the senseless killing of John Hanson.' responded Rev. Don Heath, Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Chair. Hanson's execution date is set for June 12, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Oklahoma City.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Former Oklahoma pharmacist convicted of murder moved to medical facility
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A former Oklahoma pharmacist who is now spending life in prison for murder was moved to a medical facility. Jerome Ersland is serving a life sentence after being convicted of murdering a teen during a robbery at Reliable Pharmacy in 2009. Video surveillance of the robbery shows Ersland shooting the teen before leaving the store to chase a second suspect involved. He would return to the store and shoot the teen five more times. Commutation denied for Oklahoma pharmacist convicted of murder Last month, Ersland went before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to ask for his sentence to be commuted. In the commutation application, Ersland said he wanted to spend time with his family before he dies. I will die in prison as I am 72 years old…and not eligible for parole until I'm 100. I would like to see my other two children before I die. I will never commit any other crime. I'd move back to my hometown and spend time with family and friends. Written statement on Jerome Ersland's communtation application The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has confirmed that he has been moved to a prison medical facility. Due to HIPAA Privacy Laws, the department cannot say why. Ersland is not eligible for parole until 2049. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
