EXPLAINER: Julius Jones' execution is stopped, with clemency

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Julius Jones' execution was halted Thursday, less than four hours before he was scheduled to receive a lethal injection following outcry over doubts about evidence at his murder trial nearly 20 years ago.

The clock was ticking for Jones as Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt weighed whether to spare his life. Shortly after noon Thursday, the Republican governor announced he had granted Jones clemency. Instead of dying by lethal injection, Stitt said he was commuting Jones' sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Jones, now 41, was convicted and sentenced to die for the 1999 shooting death of Paul Howell, a businessman from an affluent Oklahoma City suburb. Jones has consistently maintained his innocence.

The case has increasingly drawn attention since it was profiled in “The Last Defense,” a three-episode documentary produced by actress Viola Davis that aired on ABC in 2018 and outlined some of his defense team's allegations. Since then, reality television star Kim Kardashian West, who visited Jones in prison, and athletes with Oklahoma ties, including NBA stars Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Trae Young, have urged Stitt to commute Jones’ death sentence and spare his life. This week, Ambassador of the European Union to the U.S. Stavros Lambrinidis sent a letter to Stitt, urging him to grant Jones clemency.

Following are some of the key arguments made by Jones' attorneys, the response from prosecutors and how the case got here.

EYE-WITNESS DESCRIPTION OF SHOOTER

Paul Howell's sister, Megan Tobey, who was an eyewitness to her brother's killing, testified in court that the gunman was wearing a stocking cap that came down “about a half an inch to an inch" above his ears, and that hair was sticking out from both sides. Jones'...