AG Drummond requests delay in upcoming execution to allow more time for case review

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is asking for a 30-day delay before carrying out the state’s next scheduled execution.

Tremane Wood was sentenced to death in 2004 for the stabbing and killing of Ronnie Wipf during a robbery in Oklahoma City. His execution is currently set for Sept. 11.

With just over a month to go, Drummond says he wants to ensure all sides have adequate time to review the case.

"Everybody's cautious, you don't get do-overs on a death penalty," said Irven Box, News 9 Legal Analyst. "There's a more critical eye for the first time, I think ever in my career on these death penalty cases, saying 'Did we really get it right, and if we didn't, let's undo it.'"

Box said the scope of the death penalty has shifted significantly over the years.

"I've seen executions back in the 30s and 40s, people were executed in 30, 60, 90 days of going to the penitentiary," he said.

In a recent court filing, Drummond explained that the current timeline doesn’t give the Pardon and Parole Board enough time to hold a clemency hearing.

Wood’s older brother, Zjaiton, was sentenced to life in prison after testifying that he was the one who stabbed Wipf and that Tremane was innocent.

At the time of the trial, Tremane’s attorney was also under investigation by the Oklahoma Bar Association and was later found to have neglected clients while struggling with alcohol and substance abuse.

"In every death penalty case I've seen in recent years, they have exhausted all remedies," said Box.

Still, Box says careful reexamination is essential in any capital punishment case.

"Let's not kill someone unless we're absolutely sure that the evidence was overwhelming enough to cause us to take a life," said Box.

Because the case is active, Drummond cannot comment outside of what’s stated in court documents. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals must respond to the motion by 5 p.m. next Wednesday.