Oklahoma Governor J. Kevin Stitt must use his power of reprieve to stop the planned June 12 execution of 61-year-old John Hanson, and work towards commutation of Hanson’s sentence, Amnesty International said today. Hanson and a co-defendant were both convicted of committing murder and armed robbery in 1999, but Hanson’s case and sentencing have been rife with flaws.
“Over and over, we have seen serious problems in John Hanson’s case, from racial bias in the jury, to mental health issues undiagnosed during trials, to a confession by someone else for the crime for which Hanson is set to die,” said Justin Mazzola, Deputy Director of Research for Amnesty International USA. “The death penalty is always a violation of human rights, but the flaws in the case of John Hanson make the use of this cruel and irreversible punishment even more troubling. Oklahoma Governor Stitt must prevent the execution of John Hanson.”
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted against clemency for Hanson in a split 2-3 vote on May 7, 2025. On June 9, days before the planned execution, a judge granted a temporary stay of execution in response to a petition from Hanson’s lawyers alleging that the Pardon and Parole Board’s rejection of clemency was improper. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has now overturned the judge’s stay of execution.
“Unless federal courts or the U.S. Supreme Court intervene, the only way to ensure Hanson is not executed is for Governor Stitt to grant a reprieve and commute the death sentence. The time for the Governor to act is now” said Justin Mazzola.
A Problematic Process
Hanson’s case and sentencing has been notable for its many flaws. The judge assigned to Hanson’s 2006 resentencing case, Caroline Wall, said afterward that he should face life imprisonment without parole rather than the death penalty due to various legal problems with his sentencing.
In particular, Hanson’s co-defendant confessed to the murder for which Hanson is to be executed, but that confession was not sufficiently presented to the resentencing jury. The jury was also not instructed on the law regarding evaluating such a confession.
Federal prosecutors and multiple state juries likewise found the co-defendant more culpable than John Hanson. While the co-defendant’s death sentences were reduced to life in prison without parole, Hanson’s were not.
Judge Wall ordered a retrial, which was overturned on technical grounds.
In a signed declaration, one of the jurors from the 2006 resentencing asserted that “race played a role in Mr. Hanson being sentenced to death” and that he “never had a chance with some of the jurors” given that he is Black and the victim was white.
Further, in 2016, John Hanson was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, which can include susceptibility to manipulation and being led by others. No jury was aware of this diagnosis, which came after the trials. In a signed declaration, his co-defendant’s wife said that John Hanson “did whatever [his co-defendant] told him to do,” and that knowing her husband, she did not believe John Hanson “shot either of those people.”
“Whether John Hanson lives or dies cannot be decided by such a clearly problematic process. The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and Oklahoma Governor Stitt has the chance to prevent this horrible treatment from being meted out against John Hanson,” said Justin Mazzola.
Background
John Hanson and another man were convicted of a series of crimes in Oklahoma over a 10-day period in 1999. In June 2000, the two men were jointly tried and convicted in federal court on armed robbery charges and sentenced to life imprisonment. They were also charged under state law with two murders and tried separately in Tulsa County, Oklahoma.
From August 2000, Hanson has been held in federal custody serving a life sentence for armed robbery. On March 1, 2025, following an executive order by President Donald Trump, federal prison authorities transferred him to Oklahoma state custody to face the death penalty. His lawyers were not aware of the transfer until it was completed.
In May, Amnesty International issued an Urgent Action, asking Governor Stitt to stop this execution. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases and under any circumstances, regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to carry out the execution.
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