Oklahoma's governor has halted the execution of prisoner Julius Jones hours before he was due to be put to death.
Kevin Stitt said he was commuting the sentence to life imprisonment without parole.
Hundreds of students earlier walked out of school demanding clemency for Jones.
Jones was sentenced to death in 2002 for killing Paul Howell during a carjacking three years earlier.
He maintains his innocence.
His case has attracted the support of celebrities, including reality TV star Kim Kardashian and anti-death penalty activists.
Jones' execution by lethal injection was scheduled for Thursday at the state penitentiary in McAlester.
The state's Pardon and Parole Board earlier recommended in a 3 to 1 majority vote that Jones' sentence be commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
comments powered by Disqus
.jpg)
All feeds
