Oklahoma is gearing up for the execution of Emmanuel Littlejohn, a death row inmate convicted for his involvement in the 1992 shooting death of a convenience store owner during a robbery. Littlejohn, 52, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
Governor Kevin Stitt is currently deliberating on whether to accept a rare clemency recommendation from the state's parole board. Stitt, who has granted clemency only once during his tenure, has met with prosecutors and Littlejohn's attorneys but has not yet reached a decision.
If the execution proceeds as planned, Littlejohn will be the 14th person executed in Oklahoma under Stitt's administration. This comes amidst another execution scheduled in Alabama on the same day, potentially marking the first time in decades that five death row inmates are put to death in the U.S. within one week.
Despite a last-minute legal challenge to the constitutionality of Oklahoma's lethal injection method being denied by an appellate court, concerns have been raised about the circumstances of Littlejohn's case. During a recent video testimony to the Pardon and Parole Board, Littlejohn expressed remorse to the victim's family but denied being the one who fired the fatal shot.
Littlejohn's attorneys argued that the prosecution's case was flawed, highlighting discrepancies in the trial process. They contended that the current standards for pursuing the death penalty differ from those at the time of Littlejohn's conviction, suggesting that he might not have received a death sentence if tried today.
The parole board's 3-2 recommendation for clemency has placed the decision in the hands of Governor Stitt, who has the authority to commute Littlejohn's sentence to life in prison without parole. Stitt's past actions, including granting clemency to Julius Jones in 2021, have drawn attention to his approach to capital punishment cases.
With the impending executions in Oklahoma and Alabama, the national debate on the death penalty continues. The scheduled executions would contribute to the 1,600 total executions carried out in the U.S. since the reinstatement of the death penalty by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
