Tremane Wood was granted clemency approximately one minute before he was scheduled to be executed by Oklahoma officials.
Immediately following, he met with his attorneys for "several hours" and moved into a new cell, according to a news advisory bulletin from the Department of Corrections.
He then experienced what corrections officials call a "medical event that resulted in injuries." Officials say it was caused by dehydration and stress.
ODOC officials said he had not eaten or drunk since 5:22 pm the day before, for what was supposed to have been his last meal.
A spokesperson for the agency said she had a phone call with Wood Thursday during which he told her "he '[felt] fine now' and that he 'can't really explain what happened.' He stated that he laid down to sleep and "must have rolled off his bunk." The next thing he remembers is waking 'up in the infirmary with [his] head busted and [his] lip busted.'"
The bulletin from the spokesperson said he confirmed no one else was in his cell and he "did not do anything intentionally to cause it." He has since spoken with family and his spiritual advisor.
Wood was transported to a nearby hospital in McAlester, where he was treated and returned to prison, according to the release.
Wood has been on death row for more than two decades and has spent much of that time in the prison's most restricted unit. In the hours leading up to his scheduled execution, Wood was under 24-hour surveillance.
Wood, 46, was sentenced to death for the 2002 stabbing of Ronnie Wipf during a robbery at an Oklahoma City motel. His older brother, Zjaiton "Jake" Wood, was given life in prison without the possibility of parole in a separate trial. Zjaiton admitted to stabbing Wipf and later committed suicide in prison in 2019.
Stitt has granted clemency once before during the high-profile case of Julius Jones in 2021, but had rejected clemency recommendations for four other men. A total of 16 men have been executed during his tenure.
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.
