Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has spared the life of death row inmate Tremane Wood only minutes before Wood was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection. The governor formally commuted the forty six year old inmate’s sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This rare act of clemency halted an execution that had been set for ten o’clock on Thursday morning.
Wood was convicted for his role in the stabbing death of Ronnie Wipf, a nineteen year old migrant farmworker from Montana, during a robbery attempt at a north Oklahoma City hotel on New Year’s Day in 2002. Wood’s legal team maintains that he did not carry out the stabbing. They argue that the attack was committed by his brother, Zjaiton Wood, who was also convicted and sentenced to life without parole. Zjaiton Wood died in prison in 2019 and reportedly admitted to several people that he was responsible for killing Wipf.
During a recent clemency hearing, Wood addressed the state pardon and parole board through a video link and insisted that he was not a murderer. He told the board that he has made mistakes, particularly during his time in prison, but stated firmly that he has never taken a life. Wood said, “I am not a monster. I am not a killer. I never was, and I never have been.” The board later voted to recommend clemency and urged the governor to spare his life.
Wood’s attorneys also appealed to the United States Supreme Court, arguing that prosecutors failed to reveal details of a plea agreement involving a key witness at the original trial. The court denied the request to halt the execution early Thursday. Attention then shifted to Governor Stitt, who had granted clemency only once before during nearly seven years in office. A spokesperson said the governor met with prosecutors, defense attorneys and members of the victim’s family before reaching his final decision.
Prosecutors continue to describe Wood as a dangerous figure even while incarcerated. They accuse him of engaging in gang activity, buying and selling drugs and ordering assaults on other inmates while in a maximum security facility. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Wood has continued to manipulate, exploit and harm others. Wood acknowledged his past misconduct but maintained that he did not kill Wipf and expressed regret for his role in the robbery.
Wood’s scheduled execution was one of three planned in the United States this week. In Florida, Bryan Frederick Jennings was scheduled to die by lethal injection. In South Carolina, Stephen Bryant was scheduled to be executed by firing squad. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, forty one people have been executed across the country so far this year. At least eighteen additional executions are scheduled for the remainder of 2025 and into the following year.
Governor Stitt’s decision has drawn national attention and continues to spark discussion about the death penalty, wrongful convictions and the weight of executive decisions in capital cases.
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