Oklahoma Students Celebrate Julius Jones Commutation

Students at an Oklahoma City area high school burst into applause and cheers on Thursday, November 18, after Governor Kevin Stitt commuted the death sentence of Julius Jones, shortly before he was scheduled to be executed.

Jones had been placed on death row after he was convicted for the murder of businessman Paul Howell in 1999. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, citing doubts about Jones’s guilt, voted 3-1 earlier in November to recommend that his sentence be commuted to life in prison.

This week, Oklahoma students staged walk outs in support of Jones, and protesters descended on the state capitol and governor’s mansion.

With just hours left before his execution, Stitt announced Jones’s sentence would be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

This footage, taken by Colin Mcpherson at Southmoore High School in Moore, Oklahoma, shows students celebrating the decision. Credit: Colin McPherson via Storyful