For release: November 13, 2025
Felony Murder Elimination Project wishes to offer a statement on the Tremane Wood clemency decision today from Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.
Today, Felony Murder Elimination Project celebrates a profound and necessary step towards a more just and humane legal system. The decision by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt to commute the death sentence of Tremane Wood is a significant victory for the principles of justice, redemption, and human dignity that our organization tirelessly advocates for.
This commutation recognizes what we, and what so many in the criminal justice reform movement, believe: the death penalty is an irrevocably flawed and morally indefensible punishment. It is disproportionately applied, fraught with the risk of executing an innocent person, and fundamentally incompatible with the evolving standards of decency in our society. The stories of systemic bias rooted in institutional racism, inadequate legal representation, and the potential for error that often plague capital cases underscore the urgent need for its complete abolition.
In commuting Tremane Wood’s sentence to life imprisonment, Governor Stitt and the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board have demonstrated remarkable moral leadership. They have chosen compassion over vengeance and recognized the possibility of growth and accountability over finality and destruction. This decision affirms that our justice system should prioritize rehabilitation and lasting public safety, not state-sanctioned killing.
While this commutation provides closure and hope for Tremane Wood and his family, our work is far from over. We remain committed to supporting all individuals on death row and continuing our fight to dismantle the death penalty nationwide. We call on Governor Stitt and the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, and other system-involved authorities across the United States to build upon this act of clemency by enacting comprehensive legislation that ends the use of capital punishment once and for all.
We also want to recognize the extraordinary advocacy of Tremane Wood’s legal team, the faith leaders who held up Tremane and his cause, and the community that united to come together to ensure their voices were heard throughout an arduous process that spanned several years.
Felony Murder Elimination Project applauds this courageous and compassionate decision. It reminds us that justice is not about how we punish, but how we choose to treat all human life as worthy of rehabilitation and redemption. And even as we celebrate this vital act of mercy, we cannot lose sight of the fact that life without parole remains a death sentence by another name – one that forecloses the possibility of transformation, forgiveness, and change. Our vision of justice extends beyond the abolition of the death penalty to the end of all extreme sentences that deny people the chance to live and grow beyond their worst mistakes.
Joanne Scheer, Founder and Director, and Giuli Mello, Program Manager, Felony Murder Elimination Project
