Dates set for 7 executions in Oklahoma

Oklahoma scheduled seven executions Monday in what would be the first lethal injections for the state since putting them on hold six years ago after a series of mishaps.

Among the men scheduled to die is Julius Darius Jones, even though the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board last week recommended that his death sentence be commuted to life in prison. The case that drew national attention after it was featured in 2018 on the ABC television documentary series “The Last Defense.”

Jones, 41, has consistently maintained that he is innocent of the killing and alleged that he was framed by the actual killer, a high school friend and former co-defendant who was a key state witness against him.

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals scheduled six other executions — one a month from October through March, with two in January. The first is set for Oct. 28.

Executions in Oklahoma were put on hold after a botched lethal injection in 2014 that left an inmate writhing on the gurney, followed by drug mix-ups in 2015.