Oklahoma sets 7 executions in 6 months; 1st since 2015

By TERRY WALLACE
Associated Press

Oklahoma has scheduled its first executions since it put lethal injections on hold six years ago following a series of mishaps. Included on the list of seven executions set Monday is Julius Jones, whose case has drawn national attention. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals scheduled Jones to die Nov. 18 by lethal injection for the 1999 slaying of Paul Howell, shot dead in front of his family during a carjacking. The execution was scheduled despite the state parole board’s Sept. 13 recommendation that his death sentence be commuted to life imprisonment without parole. Jones has consistently asserted his innocence.