Oklahoma Executes Man Claiming Self-Defense
April 22, 2021
Oklahoma carried out the execution of a man on Thursday who maintained that he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot two individuals in Oklahoma City back in 2001.
Phillip Dean Hancock, aged 59, received a lethal injection consisting of three drugs at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. He was pronounced dead at 11:29 a.m. The execution proceeded after Republican Governor Kevin Stitt chose not to commute Hancock's sentence, disregarding a clemency recommendation put forth by the state's Pardon and Parole Board.
In October, Hancock's legal team filed a request for DNA testing on the physical evidence from the crime scene, which they claimed could provide evidence supporting his self-defense claim. However, the State and the court rejected this request, according to court documents.
"I can't begin to comprehend the anxiety that Phillip Hancock must have experienced as Governor Stitt once again delayed the decision on clemency until the very last minute," said Reverend Don Heath, chair of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, in a statement.
A spokesperson for Governor Stitt did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the governor's choice to deny clemency or the reason behind the delay, which caused the execution to commence after the scheduled time of 10 a.m.
Steven Harpe, executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, confirmed that Hanock's legal team requested a continuance at 9:10 a.m., and the governor was reviewing it. But at 10:10 a.m., the department was told by the general counsel of the governor's office to move forward with the execution and Hancock was then moved to the execution chamber, Harpe said.
Hancock, while strapped to the gurney inside the execution chamber, thanked his legal team and reiterated his claim that the killings were in self-defense. He added that he hoped to be exonerated after his death.
Hancock also criticized Attorney General Gentner Drummond's office, which handled Hancock's post-conviction prosecution.
"They're vile. They're virtueless. They're without honor," Hancock said.
Drummond, who witnessed the execution, did not appear to react. His office released a statement after the execution, saying, "Justice has been served for the murders of Robert Jett and James Lynch. I hope today brings a measure of peace to the families of the men whose lives were tragically cut short by Phillip Dean Hancock."
Hancock Executed for Double Homicide
Phil Hancock, who had long claimed self-defense in the shooting deaths of Robert Jett Jr. and James Lynch, was executed in Oklahoma City. Hancock's attorneys argued that Jett and Lynch were members of outlaw motorcycle gangs and that Jett had lured Hancock to his home where the attack took place.
During a clemency hearing, Hancock's lawyers also revealed that his trial attorneys were struggling with substance abuse during the case and failed to present important evidence.
In a video feed from the penitentiary, Hancock told members of the Pardon and Parole Board, "Please understand the awful situation I found myself in. I have no doubt they would have killed me. They forced me to fight for my life."
However, attorneys for the state argued that Hancock's accounts of the incident were inconsistent and did not align with physical evidence. Assistant Attorney General Joshua Lockett cited a witness who testified that Hancock had shot Jett inside the house and then followed him into the backyard, where Jett pleaded that he was going to die. According to the witness, Hancock responded, "Yes, you are," before shooting him again.
After the execution, Hancock's attorney, Shawn Nolan, issued a statement expressing sadness and claiming that the evidence clearly showed self-defense. "We are profoundly sad that Oklahoma executed Phil for protecting himself from a violent attack. This was a clear case of self-defense and the Governor and the state ignored a wealth of evidence showing that Phil was fighting for his life," Nolan said.
Justice Served: Oklahoma Executes Convicted Murderer
After more than 20 years of waiting, the families of the victims finally saw justice served as Oklahoma executed convicted murderer, John Hancock. Hancock was put to death by lethal injection on Thursday evening.
Hancock was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1996 killing of Bobby Lynn Ross. The incident occurred during a confrontation in which Hancock claimed self-defense. However, the prosecution argued that chasing someone down and killing them cannot be justified as self-defense.
The execution was witnessed by family members of both the victim and the defendant. Ryan Jett, the brother of the victim, expressed relief after the execution, stating, "We've waited a long time for justice to be served."
It is worth noting that this was not Hancock's first conviction. In 1982, he was also convicted of first-degree manslaughter in a separate shooting. Again, he claimed self-defense and served only three years of a four-year sentence.
Hancock's execution marks the fourth in Oklahoma this year and the 11th since the state resumed executions in October 2021. Oklahoma has the highest per capita execution rate in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Other notable executions in Oklahoma include Scott James Eizember, who was executed in January for a string of crimes committed 20 years ago, and Jemaine Cannon, who was executed in July for the stabbing death of a woman in 1995.
Anthony Sanchez was put to death in September for the murder of Juli Busken, a dance student at the University of Oklahoma in 1996.
The next execution scheduled in Oklahoma is James Ryder on Feb. 1. Ryder was convicted of killing Daisy Hallum, 70, in 1999 and was also found guilty of murdering her son, Sam Hallum, 38, in Pittsburg County. He received a death sentence for the former and life without parole for the latter.
