In a dramatic turn of events, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt intervened mere hours before an execution was set to take place, granting clemency to a man scheduled to die on Thursday.

Tremane Wood, now 46, had been on death row for the murder of 19-year-old farmworker Ronnie Wipf, who was tragically killed in a robbery in Oklahoma City on New Year’s Day in 2002.

During a clemency hearing, Wood’s legal team argued that it was actually his brother, Zjaiton Wood, who had delivered the fatal stab to Wipf. Zjaiton, who passed away in prison in 2019, reportedly confessed to multiple murders, including Wipf’s, according to an Associated Press report.

A photo from February 9, 2023, released by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, shows Tremane Wood, who was initially condemned for the 2001 robbery and stabbing incident. (Image courtesy of Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP)

This Feb. 9, 2023, photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows Tremane Wood, who was sentenced to die for the stabbing death of a man during a robbery in 2001. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP)

Stitt heeded a recommendation from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, which voted 3-2 Nov. 5 recommending clemency for Wood. 

“After a thorough review of the facts and prayerful consideration, I have chosen to accept the Pardon and Parole Board’s recommendation to commute Tremane Wood’s sentence to life without parole,” Stitt wrote in a statement. 

“This action reflects the same punishment his brother received for their murder of an innocent young man and ensures a severe punishment that keeps a violent offender off the streets forever. In Oklahoma, we will continue to hold accountable those who commit violent crimes, delivering justice, safeguarding our communities, and respecting the rule of law,” he added. “I pray for the family of Ronnie Wipf and for the surviving victim, Arnie; they are models of Christian forgiveness and love.”

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt granted Tremane Wood clemency on Nov. 13, 2025. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The Attorney General’s Office opposed the decision, noting Wood used multiple contraband cellphones to distribute drugs and engage in gang violence while incarcerated. 

The state provided the Pardon and Parole Board with a video allegedly showing a beating paid for by Wood, which he insisted be sent to him.

“After this dangerous criminal took a young man’s life, he stayed fully active in the criminal world from behind bars,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond wrote in a statement. “I am disappointed by the Pardon and Parole Board’s decision today but appreciate their thoughtful deliberation. My office will continue to pursue justice for Ronnie Wipf. We intend to make our case to the governor on why clemency should not be granted and why the death sentence, as determined by a jury, should be carried out.”

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has only granted clemency one other time. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Tremane Wood Foundation noted that the jury was nearly all White, with one Black juror. The Legal Defense Fund also claimed that Wood’s defense attorney did not handle the case properly.

“Mr. Wood was failed by our criminal legal system in a number of ways, including through poor legal representation and by a trial that may have been infected by racial bias. And he has spent his life in prison as a result,” the organization wrote in a statement. “… Oklahoma’s clemency board has made clear that Wood should not die nor does the victim’s family seek his death.”

The governor has only granted clemency one other time in his seven years in office.

Only half a dozen prisoners have been granted clemency in Oklahoma since 1972.