![]() ![]() Thursday inside the death chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Coddington used a hammer to bludgeon Hale inside Hale's home, and took cash from Hale's wallet before fleeing.īarring action by the governor or a court ruling, Coddington is scheduled to be executed via lethal injection at 10 A.M. The governor's office has not returned repeated requests for comment since the parole board's vote.Ĭoddington was convicted of the 1997 murder of friend and coworker Albert Hale in Choctaw, after Hale refused to give Coddington money for drugs. In the two clemency recommendations from the board so far during his time in office, Stitt has accepted one, sparing the life of Julius Jones, and rejected another, allowing the execution of Bigler Stouffer to proceed. The parole board is made up of a majority of members appointed by Stitt. They also highlighted good behavior in prison, as attested to by a former corrections officer who supervised Coddington. His attorneys focused on his severe, documented childhood abuse and neglect, including his being force-fed liquor as an infant and his addiction to cocaine by age 13. 3, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to recommend Coddington for clemency. Being dead is not going to help anybody on Earth," Allen told Public Radio Tulsa. ![]() "I believe his apology was genuine and I truly believe he is remorseful." Coddington apologized for his actions against me," Allen wrote. Steele echoed the sentiment of former Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Justin Jones, who told Public Radio Tulsa earlier this month Coddington should not be killed because he would do more good alive than dead, helping to mentor younger prisoners and keeping corrections staff safer.Ī former robbery victim of Coddington, Trisha Allen, also submitted a sworn affidavit to the governor in support of clemency after speaking with Coddington by phone. "Given those elements, and given the fact that I know that the governor is also 'pro-life,' I do feel optimistic that the governor would grant clemency in this situation," Steele said. Reached by phone Tuesday, Steele said that while he had not received a response from the governor, he was optimistic Stitt would spare Coddington's life given Stitt's professed faith. I hope you will see that granting clemency to James Coddington is the right decision." "But I hope that when you look at all the information before you, you will consider God's call to extend mercy to the redeemed. "I am sure the task of considering a clemency application from a death row prisoner weighs heavily upon you," Steele wrote in a letter to Stitt, a Republican. On Monday, former Republican Oklahoma House Speaker Kris Steele joined the growing list of individuals calling on Stitt to grant clemency. Kevin Stitt would accept the state pardon and parole board's recommendation that his sentence be commuted to life without parole. Less than 48 hours before his scheduled execution, Oklahoma death row inmate James Coddington on Tuesday afternoon was still awaiting word on whether or not Gov. ![]()
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