In an ongoing case that has captured national attention, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has declined to spare the life of death row inmate Phillip Dean Hancock. Hancock, who has maintained his claim of self-defense in a 2001 double slaying, was scheduled to receive a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

The decision comes after the state's Pardon and Parole Board narrowly voted 3-2 earlier this month to recommend clemency for Hancock. This marks the fourth time the panel has recommended sparing the life of a death row inmate. However, Governor Stitt has decided to move forward with the execution, despite having previously commuted the death sentence of Julius Jones just hours before his scheduled lethal injection in 2021.

Hancock's case centers around his assertion that he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Robert Jett Jr. and James Lynch in 2001. His attorneys argued during a clemency hearing that Jett and Lynch were members of outlaw motorcycle gangs and that Jett had lured Hancock, who was unarmed, to his home. According to a female witness, Jett ordered Hancock into a large cage and swung a metal bar at him. It was in the midst of this attack that Hancock managed to wrestle the gun away from Jett and shoot both men.

During the hearing, Hancock pleaded with the Pardon and Parole Board via video feed, stating, "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."

Hancock's lawyers also argued that his trial attorneys had struggled with substance abuse and failed to present important evidence. However, the state's attorneys countered by highlighting inconsistencies in Hancock's accounts of the events and claiming that his testimony did not align with the physical evidence. Assistant Attorney General Joshua Lockett further argued that a witness testified Hancock had chased Jett into the backyard and, after shooting him inside the house, responded to Jett's statement, "I'm going to die," with "Yes, you are," before shooting him again.

The decision to proceed with the execution has drawn strong reactions from both sides. Abraham Bonowitz, executive director of the anti-death penalty group Death Penalty Action, criticized Governor Stitt for prolonging the decision-making process and leaving various parties, including the victims' families, advocates, and prison workers, in a state of uncertainty.

Meanwhile, family members of Robert Jett Jr., including his brother Ryan Jett, testified against granting clemency, stating that while they did not claim Jett was an angel, he did not deserve to die "like a dog" in the backyard.

Hancock's case has also shed light on the larger issue of capital punishment in Oklahoma. He is the fourth inmate to be executed in the state this year and the 11th since executions resumed in October 2021 after a six-year hiatus due to problems with lethal injections. Oklahoma has executed more inmates per capita than any other state since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976.

The next execution scheduled in Oklahoma is that of James Ryder on February 1. Ryder was sentenced to death for the 1999 killing of Daisy Hallum, 70, and was also given a life sentence without parole for the killing of her son, Sam Hallum, 38, in Pittsburg County.

Despite the ongoing debate surrounding the death penalty and the claims of self-defense made by Hancock, his scheduled execution is set to proceed as planned.