On November 8, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board made a pivotal decision to recommend clemency for Phillip Hancock, amid allegations of fatally shooting two men in 2021. According to Hancock, it was an act of self-defense. Despite his scheduled execution on November 30, the board voted 3-2 in favor of recommending clemency for the 59-year-old. This decision followed Hancock’s conviction for the murders of Robert Jett Jr., 37, and James Lynch, 58, which took place on April 27, 2001, in Oklahoma City.
Ultimately, the fate of Hancock falls into the hands of Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, who is yet to set a timeframe for making a decision regarding the board’s recommendation. Hancock and his legal team assert that he was unarmed and was himself attacked with a breakover bar before being threatened with a gun and confined. Despite the lack of physical evidence at the scene, Hancock maintains that he acted in self-defense and shot Jett and Lynch after being held down and beaten.
Various supporters of Hancock, including Oklahoma Rep. Kevin McDugle, have argued that he should not face the death penalty. They believe that ineffective legal representation and prosecutorial overreach led to an unjust conviction. Similar sentiments were echoed by Oklahoma Rep. Justin J.J. Humphrey, who claimed that Hancock was lured to the residence and acted in self-defense during the violent encounter.
As the Board considered Hancock’s case, declarations from his former girlfriend, his trial attorney, and the foreperson of the jury were presented as evidence in support of his claim of self-defense. Despite the opposition from some board members, the majority voted in favor of clemency, offering a glimmer of hope for Hancock’s legal team. They remain optimistic that Governor Stitt will heed the board’s recommendation and commute Hancock’s death sentence, recognizing the circumstances as a clear case of self-defense.
