Oklahoma executes man convicted in 1999 murders
By Dacoda Wahpekeche
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Oklahoma (KOCO) — On Thursday, the state of Oklahoma executed a man convicted of carjacking and murdering a woman and then murdering a bystander.
Near the state Capitol, protestors pushed for the death penalty to be stopped.
John Hanson, 61, was executed for the 1999 murders of Mary Bowles and Jerald Thurman, though some say it was an unnecessary action.
“We grieve the loss of life,” said Don Heath, the chair of the Oklahoma Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
The Oklahoma Coalition Against the Death Penalty held a protest and prayer circle as Hanson was killed.
The group said executions are wrong.
“It doesn’t matter if you ask for forgiveness for your sins; the state has no mercy,” Heath said.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond commended Hanson’s execution, saying that while the crime was committed over 25 years ago, Oklahoma will hold murderers accountable.
“The killer who brutally took these two precious lives has paid the ultimate price for his heinous crime. This case demonstrates that no matter how long it takes, Oklahoma will hold murderers accountable for their crimes,” Drummond said.
The Coalition Against the Death Penalty wants change.
“Fill us with your spirit so that we may help transform hearts and minds in Oklahoma to stop this barbaric practice,” Heath said.
“John Hanson was a human. Killing him did not bring back the victim,” said Connie Johnson, a former state senator and with the Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
“The fact that we as a state killed him is very disturbing,” Johnson said. “It is a waste of taxpayer resources.”
The prayers within the circle were for both Hanson and his victims.
Hanson is the second person to be executed this year in Oklahoma. He died at 10:11 a.m. Thursday, with many more in line on death row.
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