Attorney General Gentner Drummond has made a formal plea to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to reject Tremane Wood's request for clemency. Wood, convicted of the 2002 murder of 19-year-old Ronnie Wipf, has consistently denied responsibility and shown no remorse for his actions.
As detailed in a clemency packet filed by Drummond and reported by the Attorney General's newsroom, "A jury found Wood guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and unanimously sentenced him to death. Numerous appellate courts have rejected his meritless challenges to his conviction and death sentence." Drummond emphasized the importance of securing justice in this "heinous murder" and argued that Wood's track record, which includes involvement in drug distribution and gang violence while on death row, reinforces the need for his sentence to be carried out.
According to evidence presented by the state, Wood went as far as to facilitate another inmate's severe beating and sought to have the evidence sent to his contraband cell phone. "Wood’s actions on death row in recent years, including distributing drugs and having another inmate viciously beaten, prove that death is the only way to ensure the safety of Oklahomans," Drummond said in a statement. Tremane Wood's clemency hearing is set for Nov. 5, with his execution scheduled for Nov. 13.
The state's case against Wood includes a video of the beating allegedly orchestrated by him as well as information on his possession of multiple contraband cell phones used for criminal activities. The message is clear in the evidence filed—Wood remains "fully active in the criminal world behind bars," a reality the state cites to justify his death sentence, as per the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office.
