Oklahoma's next execution may not go forward as initially planned.
In an Aug. 22 filing, Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to set an execution date for Kendrick Antonio Simpson, instead of Tremane Wood, who was scheduled to be next in line.
The change comes after Wood's attorneys announced plans to withdraw so "unconflicted replacement counsel" could instead be appointed to his case. An explanation for his attorneys' motion to leave was not included in the court filing.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation also began looking into accusations about Wood, which have not yet been made public. The Oklahoman reports Wood has been caught with cellphones multiple times over the last couple of months and that he was moved into the prison's most restrictive area in June.
Wood, 45, was sentenced to death in 2004 for the fatal stabbing of a migrant worker during a robbery in Oklahoma City. Drummond initially asked the court to schedule his execution for Sept. 11, and then requested it be delayed until October.
Now, he's asking the state to execute Simpson first. Drummond said Wood's new attorneys will presumably be unfamiliar with his case and will need time to prepare for clemency proceedings.
A clemency hearing is the last chance for someone on death row to avoid being put to death. Simpson, 44, was convicted of fatally shooting two men in 2006 after he relocated to Oklahoma City following Hurricane Katrina.
Drummond suggested October 30th as Simpson's execution date. If granted, his clemency hearing will have time to be held at the Pardon and Parole Board's October meeting.
The most recent execution in Oklahoma was carried out on June 12 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.
Copyright 2025 KOSU
