AG Pruitt Seeks Indefinite Stay In Scheduled Executions 

 Attorney General Scott Pruitt Asks Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to Stay Scheduled Executions 
OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Scott Pruitt on Thursday filed a petition with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals seeking an indefinite stay of all scheduled executions. The attorney general also said his office is launching an inquiry into the events surrounding the scheduled execution of Richard Glossip. 

“The state owes it to the people of Oklahoma to ensure that, on their behalf, it can properly and lawfully administer the sentence of death imposed by juries for the most heinous crimes. Not until shortly before the scheduled execution did the Department of Corrections notify my office that it did not obtain the necessary drugs to carry out the execution in accordance with the protocol. Until my office knows more about these circumstances and gains confidence that DOC can carry out executions in accordance with the execution protocol, I am asking the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to issue an indefinite stay of all scheduled executions. I am mindful of the families who have suffered an agonizing time through this process, and my heart breaks for them. At least three families have waited a combined 48 years for closure and finality after losing a loved one. Yet, they deserve to know, and all Oklahomans need to know with certainty, that the system is working as intended,” Attorney General Pruitt said. 

The attorney general said his office already has begun an inquiry into the events surrounding the scheduled Glossip execution. The attorney general said his office will work quickly to learn more about this issue, but there is no certain timetable as to when the inquiry will conclude.

Click here for a copy of the stay request filed by the attorney general’s office. 
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