Oklahoma Judge Grants Stay of Execution for John Fitzgerald Hanson
An Oklahoma judge issued a temporary stay of execution for John Fitzgerald Hanson, 61, who was scheduled to be executed for the 1999 murder of Mary Bowles. Hanson’s legal team argued he did not receive a fair clemency hearing, citing potential bias from board member Sean Malloy, who had ties to the prosecution. Despite the Attorney General’s claim that the judge lacks authority to grant the stay, Hanson’s transfer to death row was expedited under the Trump administration, following his prior life sentence in federal prison.