The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 on Wednesday to deny clemency for George John Hanson, who was sentenced to death for the 1999 murder of 77-year-old Mary Bowles.
Bowles' body was found lying in a ditch, covered by bushes, in a dirt pit near Owasso. It took almost a week for her body to be found, and because of an advanced rate of decomposition spurred by summer heat, her remains were identified using dental records. Autopsy reports suggest she was shot four to six times.
A bullet lodged in Bowles' chest matched Hanson's handgun. His representation said there was no definitive evidence Hanson — who is also referred to as John Fitzgerald Hanson in court documents — was the one who shot and killed Bowles.
His attorney, Tom Hird, made the argument Hanson was, instead, the accomplice to a crime orchestrated by his co-defendant, Victor Cornell Miller.
Miller is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for killing a witness to the murder, bystander Jerald Max Thurman.
Hird said Hanson's autism spectrum disorder often rendered him a "follower," incapable of understanding how to act in some social situations. Diagnosed at 56 years old, Hanson's autism was not presented to jurors considering his case.
"This diagnosis, this developmental disability, it colors and explains every aspect of this case and every aspect of John's life," he said.
Hanson's defense shared video testimony from licensed psychologist Robert Cohen. Cohen said Hanson's symptoms are not a recent development, but have been present his whole life.
"It's undoubtedly clear that his social interactions, hyperverbal presentation, his awkwardness, his quietness, his lack of abstract reasoning and thought, his facial expressions, those are all problems that he's had over his lifespan," Cohen said.
Hird claimed a difficult childhood, his susceptibility to coercion and behavior while in prison make Hanson a candidate for mercy.
Prosecutors argued Hird's characterization failed to sufficiently excuse or explain murder.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who has pushed for Hanson's execution for years, led the prosecution.
"For Mary, that day began like so many others. She spent it giving back to her community, volunteering at the neonatal intensive care unit at Saint Francis," Drummond said. "Later, she went to the Promenade Mall for exercise, and that is where evil found her, in the form of John Hanson and his accomplice."
Convicted of carjacking, kidnapping and killing Bowles, Hanson was sentenced to death in Tulsa County. Drummond said the victims' families deserve to see Hanson executed.
Given a chance to speak in front of the board via video from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, Hanson apologized and expressed remorse for his involvement.
"I understand the pain and the heartache and the loss they feel, and I'm ashamed for it," Hanson said. "I was caught in a situation I couldn't control. I can't change the past, but I would if I could."
Sara Mooney, Mary Bowles' niece, told the board Hanson's appearance would be her first time hearing him speak.
"Remorse must be demonstrated. It must be given by the individual, not stated by their representative," Mooney said.
She said Hanson has never attempted to contact her in the last 26 years to apologize or offer an explanation for his role in her aunt's death.
Prior to being moved to Oklahoma's death row earlier this year, Hanson had been serving a separate life sentence for two decades in a Louisiana federal prison for a bank robbery. He was transferred to Oklahoma after a special request from Drummond was granted by President Donald Trump and his administration.
Hanson, 61, is scheduled to be put to death on June 12. His execution will be the second in Oklahoma this year. Without a recommendation from the board, Gov. Kevin Stitt is unable to grant clemency.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
