Oklahoma
Advocates launch desperate effort to save Oklahoma man from execution in 1992 murder
Anti-death penalty activists on Monday kicked off a campaign seeking clemency for the next person slated to be executed in Oklahoma.
Emmanuel Littlejohn, who was convicted in 1994 for the 1992 murder of a convenience store owner, was given an execution date of September 26 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals Wednesday.
Reverend Jeff Hood, a death row spiritual advisor, and Abraham Bonowitz, Death Penalty Action Co-Founder Executive Director, argued at a press conference that a lack of evidence pointing towards Littlejohn’s co-conspirator Glenn Bethany — who is currently serving a life sentence — being the person that fired the fatal shot made the scheduled execution an injustice.
“This is not a clear case,” Hood said. “This is a case where we have a number of issues, a number of problems.”
In an interview with USA Today ahead of the press conference, Littlejohn accepted responsibility for his role in the robbery but maintained his innocence in the murder.
“They don’t want to punish me for what I did do, the robbery and all that,” Littlejohn said. “They want to kill me and I didn’t kill nobody.”
The group presented a video appealing to the people of Oklahoma to contact Governor Kevin Stitt and advocate for Stitt to grant Littlejohn clemency.
“He understands being held accountable for participating in a robbery that went awry,” Bonowitz said. “How is it that the shooter, the actual shooter, is getting a lesser punishment than he is?”
Oklahoma and the death penalty
Stitt has used his clemency power once in his tenure, sparing the life of Julius Jones after a high-profile advocacy campaign. The state has executed 13 people since Stitt lifted a moratorium on executions in 2020.
“Governor Stitt has a moral responsibility to the people of Oklahoma to do the right thing no matter what he has done in the past,” Hood said. “I’m an old preacher, I believe it’s possible for people to get saved.”
Oklahoma has executed 124 people since 1976, the second most in the country since the reinstatement of capital punishment
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board could recommend Littlejohn’s punishment be changed to life in prison without the possibility of parole in a hearing scheduled for August 7. Stitt can only act if the board recommends clemency.
What happened in Emmanuel Littlejohn’s case?
Littlejohn was one of two robbers who took money from the Root-N-Scoot convenience store in south Oklahoma City on June 19, 1992. Littlejohn was then 20.
The owner, Kenneth Meers, 31, was killed by a single shot to the face as he charged at the robbers with a broom. Witnesses differed on who fired the gun. Hood and Bonowitz pointed to witnesses that said the “taller man” was the shooter, referring to Bethany.
Bethany was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1993.
Littlejohn was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1994. A second jury in 2000 also voted for the death penalty at a resentencing trial. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ordered the resentencing because of improper testimony from a jailhouse snitch.
Central to Littlejohn’s appeal was a claim of prosecutorial misconduct. His attorneys complained the same prosecutor argued at the first trial that Bethany was the shooter and then argued at the subsequent trial that Littlejohn was the shooter.
“It has long been established that prosecutors may not violate fundamental principles of fairness,” one attorney told a federal judge in 2005.
Littlejohn exhausted his appeals in 2018.
That complaint was repeatedly rejected on appeal. The Court of Criminal Appeals found in 1998 the prosecutor did not act improperly “given the uncertainty of the evidence.”
A federal judge in 2010 found the prosecutor made no outright assertions that Bethany was the shooter at the first trial but instead “reminded the jurors that it was their task to determine whether Bethany was guilty of malice murder or felony murder.”
The judge noted that in Littlejohn’s trial the prosecutor went further and adamantly asserted that he was the actualshooter.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) — Oklahoma lawmakers have voted to honor country music artist and Oklahoma native Toby Keith.
House Concurrent Resolution 1019 recognizes Keith’s lasting impact on music and proposes renaming a planned turnpike in his memory.
The concurrent resolution was authored by Rep. Jason Blair, R-Morgan, and Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman.
The planned route will extend from Interstate 44 east to Interstate 35, then continue east and north to I-40 at the Kickapoo Turnpike.
Copyright 2026 KSWO. All rights reserved.
Governor Kevin Stitt has said he wants the State Superintendent of Education to be a governor-elected position instead of an elected one. Political analyst Scott Mitchell examines what this would mean for the state.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is urging lawmakers to send a state question to voters that would make the state superintendent an appointed position, as he named Lindel Fields of Tulsa to the role and announced a turnaround team to help implement his education agenda.
Is the State Superintendent an elected role?
Yes, the State Superintendent of Education is still an elected role. Elections are scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
Cons of making the superintendent an appointed position
Mitchell said making this position appointed could cause distrust among some Oklahomans
“Over the years, we’ve seen that capture of regulatory sort of is easy to do when you have term limits, then lobbies become more powerful, and they have all the history. It’s very complicated.
He also said if the position were to be elected, they would likely have the same agenda as the governor.
“Yes, and I think the governor would be absolutely saying, ‘Yes, they’re going to do what I want them to do.’”
Changing how the superintendent is chosen changes what the founding fathers set.
“Voters are going to have to say yay or nay if it gets to them, is whether or not we want to change the way that the founding fathers set up the way that we make sure that power is not concentrated in Oklahoma,” he said.
Is Ryan Walters’ term the reason Stitt wants to make this position appointed?
Mitchell said he believes the former State Superintendent played a role in the government wanting to appoint this position.
During his time as superintendent, Walters was known to have multiple controversies. He resigned in 2025, allowing Stitt to appoint Lindel Fields.
“His impact on this, even though he’s gone, is certainly evident,” said Mitchell. “Walters left midstream, right? And so the governor had a chance to appoint someone. Well, it wasn’t just an appointment; it was chaos before and relative calm and competency after. And that has given the governor an opening for people to see with their own eyes. Yeah, you can put somebody in, we’re talking about Lindel Fields, that appears to get up every day, not trying to find some, get a click on social media, but rather to do his job. And across the board, for the most part, this guy’s getting thumbs up.
Stitt said electing Fields has already given him some leverage since he has been well perceived so far.
“That allows a governor to say, Look, I’ve got some standing, some leverage to go to the voters and say, let’s put expertise as the main reason that a person’s there, not because they were able to win an election because they had some sort of populist or dramatic ideas.”
Who is running for Oklahoma State Superintendent?
Republican Ballot
- Sen. Adam Pugh
- John Cox
- Rep. Toni Hasenbeck
- Ana Landsaw
Democrat Ballot
- Craig Mcvay
- Jennettie Marshall
Independent
To learn more about each candidate, click here.
A full breakdown of candidates in the 2026 Oklahoma State Superintendent race, including party affiliation, background and key education priorities.
An Oklahoma highway could soon be named after the late country superstar, Toby Keith, pending new legislation.
House Concurrent Resolution 1019 would rename a proposed turnpike project the “Toby Keith Expressway.” This roadway is set to be built from Interstate 44 East to Interstate-35, continuing East and North to Interstate 40. This road is a part of the ACCESS Oklahoma Long-Range Plan, which is meant to update and expand the state’s turnpike system.
This resolution was adopted by the House on Wednesday.
“Toby Keith was more than a country music star. He was a proud Oklahoman who never forgot where he came from,” said Rep. Jason Blair, R-Moore. “Naming this turnpike in his honor is a fitting way to recognize a man who represented our state with ultimate patriotism and generosity.”
Keith was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, raised in Moore and resided in Norman. He died on February 5, 2024, in a battle with cancer.
“Over the course of his legendary career, Toby Keith never forgot where he came from or what he stood for,” said Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman. “His Oklahoma roots shaped him, and his love of America defined him. He was a country music superstar and a true patriot. I can think of no better way to honor his memory than by naming this future stretch of Norman turnpike in his honor, creating a lasting tribute to the legacy he leaves behind.”
During his career, Keith sold over 40 million records and more than 20 number-one singles
Legislation authors believe this would commemorate the life and legacy of Toby Keith.
The bill will now head to the Senate.
To read the full House Resolution, click here.
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