When Tremane Wood and his brother carried out a string of robberies in 2002, they didn’t know that night would change their lives forever. It was New Year’s Eve, and the brothers enlisted two women to help lure unsuspecting men to a local Oklahoma hotel where they’d be waiting to rob them at knife and gunpoint.
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The brothers wore masks, trench coats and leather gloves, the Frontier reported. Wood reportedly had a knife, and his brother, Zjaiton, had a gun. The first robbery went according to plan, but when Ronald Wipf, 19, and another victim were set up as the Wood brothers’ second score, chaos ensued.
One man was able to escape the attack while Wipf was ultimately stabbed to death, KFOR reported. Zjaiton confessed to the murder, but a jury took both Wood brothers down for the crime. When someone is killed during an active felony, the law states all suspects can be charged with murder. Prosecutors only had to show Wood took part in a robbery for him to be convicted. This is known as felony murder, and it’s exactly what sentenced Wood to death in 2004.
Prosecutors argued Wood was the killer because he had been seen with the knife. Zjaiton, on the other hand, was sentenced in life without parole, although he maintained his brother’s innocence. He committed suicide in 2019, according to the Frontier.
The two other female suspects were handed harsh sentences totaling over 145 years behind bars. Twenty three years after the tragedy, the state of Oklahoma began prepping to execute Wood by lethal injection. His execution was fated for today (Nov. 13), that is, until a miracle happened.
Earlier this month, the Pardon and Parole Board recommended clemency for Wood, arguing he didn’t have a fair trial. “One thing we really are pointing out is that in this case, the victim’s family does not support this execution,” Cali Hyland of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma said the day before Wood’s scheduled execution.
They argued Wood’s trial attorney did little work to advance his case and was drinking heavily at the time, according to the Associated Press. This on top of concerns of juror concealment presented a heavy case to save Wood’s life.
His family pleaded with Okla. Gov. Kevin Stitt to spare his life after the Supreme Court denied the request to stop the execution. “It’s sad and it’s heartbreaking. He is my son, and I wish Governor Stitt could see that,” said Linda Wood.
Minutes before Wood’s execution was scheduled for 10 a.m. today, Gov. Sitt granted Linda’s wish. “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 said, the AP reported. This marks only the second time he has granted clemency during his almost seven years in office.
“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,” the governor said.
While Wood and his family celebrated the news, Okla. Attorney General Gentner Drummond was less than happy about it. “I am disappointed that the governor has granted clemency for this dangerous murderer, but respect that this was his decision to make,” Drummond wrote in a statement.
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