State Pardon and Parole Board votes to deny clemency to Tulsa man convicted of 1999 murder

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board denies clemency for a Tulsa man convicted of killing a 77-year-old woman in 1999.

John Hanson was sentenced to death for the murder of Mary Bowles.

Good Samaritan Jerald Thurman was killed trying to help save her.

Timeline:

1999

On Sept. 7, 1999, 77-year-old Mary Bowles, who had been missing for a week, was found dead in a heavily wooded area, just north of Tulsa International Airport near 66th Street North. Police said they found signs of trauma and were investigating her death as a homicide.

Also in September, John Hanson was arrested after a standoff between himself and Tulsa police and the FBI in connection to a robbery at the Tulsa Federal Employees Credit Union. They also arrested Victor Miller, who surrendered.

During their investigation, police found evidence that Hanson and Miller were responsible for the deaths of Bowles and 44-year-old Jerald Max Thurman. Prosecutors later filed murder charges.

2000

Miller and Hanson were sentenced to life in prison without parole for armed robbery.

2001

A jury convicted Hanson of first-degree murder in the death of Bowles and Thurman. The Tulsa County District Court recommended the death penalty.

2022

On October 17, the Federal Bureau of Prisons refused the transfer of Hanson from a federal prison in Louisiana to Oklahoma to be executed. Tulsa County DA Steve Kunzweiler received a letter from the Federal Bureau of Prisons saying it would not be in the “public’s best interest.” He had been set to be executed in Oklahoma on Dec. 15, 2022.

"On June 28, 2000, the Honorable H. Dale Cook, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma, sentenced inmate Hanson to a term of life imprisonment, which he has been serving since that date. As inmate Hanson is presently subject to a Life term imposed in Federal Court, his transfer to state authorities for state execution is not in the public interest."

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond wrote a letter on Oct. 14 requesting his transfer.

2025

President Donald Trump signed an executive order “to ensure that the laws that authorize capital punishment are respected and faithfully implemented, and to counteract the politicians and judges who subvert the law by obstructing and preventing the execution of capital sentences” on Jan. 20. Previously under the Biden Administration, there was a moratorium on death sentences.

On Jan. 23, Drummond asked that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons transfer Hanson to Oklahoma to carry out his death sentence. Drummond's office says if Hanson is transferred to Oklahoma before March 20, he could be executed in June.

On Feb. 13, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi agreed to transfer Hanson to Oklahoma. Hanson filed a petition for emergency relief to try and stop the transfer, but it was denied.

Hanson was transferred to Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester on March 1, and his execution date has been set for June 12.

On May 7, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board denied clemency for Hanson.

Hanson Apologizes

Hanson apologized to the families of the victims when he addressed the board on May 7.

"I am ashamed of this situation for myself as well as the victims and their families to have to go through all of this,” said Hanson. “This is probably the hardest thing these people have had to deal with."

He said he wishes he could change what happened.

"I was caught in a situation I couldn't control,” said Hanson. “Things were happening so fast and at the spur of the moment, due to the lack of decisiveness and fear, I responded incorrectly, and two people lost their lives. I can't change the past, and I would if I could. All I can do is offer my apologies and regards."

Family's Response

Jacob Thurman, the son of Jerald Thurman, whom Miller was convicted of killing, says it’s been too long to wait for justice.

"I'm just very thankful that things went the victim's way today, and hopefully justice is served come June 12th,” said Thurman.

Thurman says his mother died shortly after Hanson was supposed to be executed in 2022.

"Forty-something days later, my mom dies of organ failure,” said Thurman. “She was holding on for that justice. And just to pull that away from her, it's like pulling a rug from under her feet. She's going to fall."

He wishes both Miller and Hanson had received the death penalty, but is glad to see at least one of them be set to be executed.

"I feel like Mary and Gerald deserve justice,” said Thurman. “At least one out of two, I guess, isn't bad, considering the odds we were fighting against with everything in our corner at the time."

He says what keeps him going is the morals his father taught him.

"Things that do keep me going day to day are the values my dad instilled in me,” said Thurman. “Be a good person, do the right thing, help people out in need. He saw a fellow Oklahoman in need that day and reached his arm out to help."

Statement From Hanson’s Attorneys

Callie Heller, an attorney for Hanson, released this statement:

“Mr. Hanson’s case presents the kind of extreme disparity and unresolved legal questions that the clemency process is meant to address. A more culpable co-defendant is serving life, while Mr. Hanson—who was homeless, developmentally disabled, and never had a full and fair opportunity to present mitigating evidence—is now at risk of execution. As of today, three jurors have come forward with concerns about their death verdict after learning facts they never heard at trial. Mr. Hanson has expressed clear remorse and taken responsibility for his role in the crime. For all of these reasons, we believe the Board was wrong not to recommend clemency. We will leave no stone unturned as we fight to stop Mr. Hanson’s execution.” 

Attorney General Gentner Drummond released this statement:

“Hanson and an accomplice carjacked and kidnapped 77-year-old Mary Bowles from a Tulsa mall in 1999. She was shot to death at an isolated dirt pit near Owasso. Just minutes before killing Bowles, Hanson and his accomplice also gunned down an innocent bystander, Jerald Thurman. The families of Mary Bowles and Jerald Thurman have waited more than a quarter-century to see justice carried out against this callous murderer,” Drummond said. “I appreciate the Pardon and Parole Board for rejecting clemency today. The Biden Administration protected this monster from justice for too long. Now is the time for him to atone for the pain and suffering he has wrought. Justice will be delivered when the death penalty is rightly served on June 12.”

Hanson was transferred from a Louisiana federal prison in March at Drummond's request. The transfer was facilitated by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Bureau of Prisons after previously being blocked by the Biden Administration. 

The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty released this statement:

“OKLAHOMA CITY –Today, Wednesday May 7, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has voted 3-2 to deny clemency for death row prisoner George John Hanson (also known as John Fitzgerald Hanson). Mr. Hanson, 60, is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, June 12 for the 1999 kidnapping and murder of 77-year-old Mary Bowles. Until Mr. Hanson was transferred to Oklahoma in March for execution, he had been serving a life sentence in federal prison in Louisiana for bank robbery for over two decades. While there, Mr. Hanson earned the trust and respect of correctional staff. Mr. Hanson’s clemency petition presented a case centered on his Autism Spectrum Disorder, procedural and legal irregularities, disparity with a more culpable co-defendant, Victor Miller, who received a life sentence for the same crime. In response to the Board’s denial of clemency, Rev. Don Heath, OK-CADP Chair, made the following statement: “We heard that John Hanson is a changed man, a responsible and trustworthy member of his prison community and that he expresses remorse for the senseless murder of Mary Bowles. By refusing mercy, the State will now carry out the senseless killing of John Hanson.”’

Next Steps

Hanson is set to be executed on June 12th.

What Happened to Victor Miller?

Victor Miller is now serving life without parole.

He was convicted and given the death penalty, then appealed and won. Then, he was convicted again and given the death sentence again, but he appealed again.

He won a new sentence, and since that process took 16 years, the victim's family finally said to take the death penalty off the table, so the case didn't keep dragging on for another decade.