The European Union is now among those calling on Gov. Kevin Stitt to spare Julius Jones’s life.
The EU Ambassador to the United States Stavros Lambrinidis sent Stitt a letter dated Monday. Jones is to be executed Thursday.
In the letter, Lambrinidis wrote he respectfully requests Stitt follow the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board’s recommendation to grant Jones clemency and reduce his sentence to life with the possibility of parole. Lambrinidis said the board's concerns about evidence presented at trial, the disparity in sentences for Jones and co-defendant Christopher Jordan, and the fact he was just 19 years old show why it’s important to commute Jone’s sentence.
The letter also extends sympathies to the family and friends of Paul Howell, the man whose 1999 murder a jury convicted Jones of and later sentenced him to die for.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Stitt had still not announced what he would do with the pardon and parole board's recommendation to commute Jones' sentence. Stitt has reportedly met with the Howell family, prosecutors and defense attorneys, and clergy, though not with Jones' family. Jones' mother tried to visit Stitt on Monday afternoon but was told he was not available.
The European Union has abolished the death penalty. Letters from Lambrinidis to U.S. officials about pending executions are not uncommon.
