Despite the mobilization of millions of people who doubt his guilt, authorities in the US state of Oklahoma are preparing to execute Julius Jones, a 41-year-old African-American on Thursday, November 18, using a controversial lethal protocol.
"
It is the cold machine of the death penalty in the United States,
" denounced on Twitter the star of reality TV Kim Kardashian who has supported him for several years.
“
My heart hurts for Julius and so many other victims of justice denial
,” she added.
Read also Death penalty: executioner in France, history of a taboo profession
Like her, actress Kerry Washington but also six and a half million signatories of an internet petition have asked State Governor Kevin Stitt to intervene before 4 p.m. (10 p.m. GMT), the time set for his execution.
The elected Republican has so far not responded, although the Oklahoma Pardons Office, pointing to the flaws in the file, has twice recommended commuting his sentence to life imprisonment.
Julius Jones was sentenced in 2002 to death for the murder of a white businessman, Paul Howell, whom he has always denied.
He claims to have been trapped by the perpetrator, to have been poorly defended by his first lawyers, and to have been discriminated against during the trial.
His legal actions have all been dismissed and Paul Howell's family, including his daughter, remain convinced of his guilt.
The flaws in the case have been the subject of a documentary series and a podcast, and tipped in its favor a section of opinion.
Contested Lethal Cocktail
On Wednesday again, hundreds of high school students came out of their establishment in Oklahoma to protest and try to bend the governor. Protesters have also camped near his residence in recent nights, according to local channel Koco. “
If you think he's guilty, hold a fair trial. Do it again and do it right,
”her mother Madeline Davis-Jones said at a press conference Wednesday. A few hours from the deadline, Julius Jones' lawyer made a final appeal. "
We hope the Governor prevents the execution from taking place, given the many concerns over the execution protocol and Mr. Jones
' case," said Amanda Bass.
Beyond doubts about his guilt, the execution raises questions, because Julius Jones must receive a lethal cocktail of three substances suspected of causing excruciating suffering. Oklahoma, a rural and conservative state in the southern United States, resumed executions on October 29, after a six-year hiatus, using this controversial protocol. John Grant, a 60-year-old African-American, was shaken by vomiting and seizures after the first injection, reporters who witnessed the scene reported. The prison services assured that there had been "
no complication
", but several voices denounced a violation of the American Constitution, which prohibits "
cruel sentences
".
The contested protocol combines a sedative, midazolam, and an anesthetic, believed to prevent pain before the lethal-dose potassium chloride injection. It had been used in 2014 to execute Clayton Lockett, but the convict had agonized for 43 minutes in apparent pain. In 2015, another convict, Charles Warner, complained that his "
body was on fire.
»Before being extinguished, the executioners having used a non-conforming product.
The same error was almost reproduced in September 2015 and an execution was postponed at the last minute.
Following these failures, a grand jury opened an investigation and the authorities agreed to suspend the application of the death penalty.
In 2020, they finalized a new protocol and set several execution dates in 2021.
After Julius Jones, the state has scheduled five more executions by March.
