Oklahoma Governor Commutes Inmate’s Death Sentence Just Before Execution

In a last-minute decision on Nov. 13, 2025, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt commuted the death sentence of Tremane Wood, 46, to life without parole hours before a scheduled 10 a.m. lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Wood, who had been sentenced to die for his part in a 2002 motel stabbing that killed 19-year-old Ronnie Wipf, had already taken his final meal when the commutation was delivered, according to his attorney. The governor said he accepted a 3–2 recommendation from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board and cited a sentencing disparity between Wood and his older brother as a key factor. The move spares Wood from execution but leaves unresolved disputes over defense resources and prosecutorial conduct that defenders raised during appeals.

Key Takeaways

• Governor Kevin Stitt commuted Tremane Wood’s death sentence to life without parole on Nov. 13, 2025, hours before a scheduled 10 a.m. execution.
• The Pardon and Parole Board recommended reduction by a 3–2 vote; Stitt has granted clemency in one other death‑penalty case while rejecting other recommendations.
• Wood was convicted for a 2002 motel stabbing that killed Ronnie Wipf; he was sentenced to death in 2004 and was 46 at the time of the commutation.
• Seventeen inmates have been executed in Oklahoma since Stitt took office, and this is Stitt’s second commutation of a death sentence during his nearly seven-year tenure.
• Defense attorneys argued Wood received far fewer defense resources than his older brother, who received life without parole and later died by suicide in custody in 2019.
• The state’s attorney general opposed clemency, citing prison misconduct allegations against Wood including cellphone‑assisted criminal activity while incarcerated.
• Appeals and a Supreme Court stay request were denied earlier on the day of the scheduled execution; the commutation followed those denials.

Background

The case stems from a 2002 botched robbery at an Oklahoma City motel in which 19‑year‑old Ronnie Wipf was fatally stabbed. Prosecutors pursued capital charges; Tremane Wood was convicted of first‑degree murder and given a death sentence in 2004. His older brother, Zjaiton Wood, tried separately and convicted for the same killing, received life without parole. Zjaiton Wood died by suicide in prison in 2019.

Defense counsel and advocates have long argued that Wood’s case reflects uneven defense resources and investigative work. Attorneys for Tremane Wood said the lawyer assigned to him logged far fewer hours and that investigators were not deployed at the same level used for his brother. Those arguments were central to clemency petitions and appellate filings over years.

Main Event

On the morning of Nov. 13, 2025, prison staff informed Wood — who had eaten a last meal of catfish — that Governor Stitt had commuted his sentence to life without the possibility of parole. Attorneys and family members reported that Wood collapsed with emotion after receiving the news. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board had voted 3–2 the week before to recommend commutation, citing concerns about sentencing fairness.

Governor Stitt, a Republican who supports capital punishment, said in a public statement that he accepted the board recommendation and was troubled by the sentencing disparity between Tremane and his brother. Stitt emphasized that the commutation ensures Wood will remain incarcerated for life while aligning his punishment with his brother’s.

The day’s legal backdrop included a last‑minute denial from the U.S. Supreme Court of a stay request filed by Wood’s attorneys. State officials had opposed the commutation and urged execution to proceed, with Oklahoma’s attorney general publicly criticizing the clemency move and citing allegations of in‑prison misconduct by Wood.

Analysis & Implications

The commutation highlights ongoing tensions in Oklahoma’s death‑penalty system between prosecutorial decisions, defense resourcing, and executive clemency. Stitt’s action underscores how gubernatorial discretion can override late judicial denials and how the parole board’s recommendations can carry decisive weight. It also illustrates the political calculus governors face when balancing law‑and‑order credentials with fairness concerns in capital cases.

For capital‑punishment opponents, the case reinforces long‑standing critiques that unequal defense resources and procedural irregularities produce disparate outcomes in life‑and‑death cases. Wood’s lawyers pointed to differences in trial teams and investigative support as a likely explanation for his harsher sentence compared with his brother’s life term, an argument that resonated with at least three board members.

Politically, Stitt’s commutation is notable because it is only the second time he has granted clemency in nearly seven years, after commuting Julius Jones’s death sentence in 2021. Administratively, the decision raises questions about future use of the pardon board’s recommendations and may prompt renewed scrutiny of how indigent defense resources are allocated in capital prosecutions.

Comparison & Data

These figures place the commutation in context: executions have continued under Stitt’s governorship, but the governor has made rare use of his clemency powers. The data also highlight the temporal gap between the underlying crime (2002), the death sentence (2004), and the final clemency action in 2025.

Reactions & Quotes

“This action reflects the same punishment his brother received…and ensures a severe punishment that keeps a violent offender off the streets forever,” the governor said as he announced the commutation.

Governor Kevin Stitt (statement)

“He collapsed on the floor of his cell and was overcome with emotion and gratitude to Governor Stitt for sparing his life,” said Tremane Wood’s lawyer after the commutation was delivered.

Amanda Bass Castro‑Alves (defense counsel)

“I am disappointed that the governor has granted clemency for this dangerous murderer,” the attorney general said, citing allegations of in‑prison misconduct and promising continued efforts to keep Wood confined.

Gentner Drummond, Oklahoma Attorney General (statement)

Unconfirmed

• Defense claims that prosecutors withheld witness‑deal information remain contested; the state has denied undisclosed agreements and the matter was disputed in filings.
• Allegations about the precise number of hours the original defense lawyer spent on Wood’s case are based on invoices cited by defenders and have been challenged in court filings.
• Some public assertions about Wood’s alleged post‑conviction prison activities are reported by the attorney general but have not been detailed in independent, publicly available investigations.

Bottom Line

Governor Stitt’s commutation of Tremane Wood’s death sentence hours before a scheduled execution underscores the decisive role of executive clemency in capital cases and draws renewed attention to questions of equitable defense and prosecutorial conduct. The decision aligns Wood’s punishment with that of his brother but does not close the debate over whether resource disparities at trial produced the original outcome.

Looking ahead, the commutation may prompt policy and legal scrutiny in Oklahoma about defense funding, transparency in witness agreements, and the mechanics of parole‑board recommendations. For victims’ families, the governor framed the decision as a balance of punishment and parity; for advocates, it is a reminder that clemency remains one of the final checks on the death‑penalty system.

Sources

• The New York Times — national news report summarizing the commutation and court filings.
• Death Penalty Information Center — national nonpartisan data on executions (advocacy/research).
• KOCO — local Oklahoma news video and coverage of reactions outside the prison (local news).
• NonDoc — Oklahoma news outlet reporting on Wood’s parole‑board testimony and case history (local journalism).
• Oklahoma Department of Corrections — institutional records and inmate information (official).