Court declines request to bar duo from death penalty case

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Supreme Court has rejected a request to remove two members of the state’s Pardon and Parole Board from a high-profile death penalty case. The court on Friday denied a prosecutor’s request to remove Adam Luck and Kelly Doyle from considering the commutation request of Julius Jones, who was sentenced to death for a 1999 killing.

District Attorney David Prater argued that Luck and Doyle have a conflict of interest because of their nonprofit work with released inmates. Prater said he respects the decision and is ready to proceed with Monday’s scheduled hearing in which Jones is asking the five-member board to recommend that his death sentence be reduced.