Supporters Vow To Continue Fighting For Julius Jones, Call On Okla. To End Capital Punishment

Supporters of Julius Jones gathered Thursday night at the Oklahoma History Center. Speakers at the vigil and Julius Jones' mother said the gathering was about celebrating; but, tomorrow, the work continues.

“I thank God for each one of you all, I really do. We have much work to do, so rest today. Celebrate. Tomorrow, a new day begins again,” said Madeline Davis-Jones, Julius Jones’s mother.

Supporters of Jones gathered and rejoiced that his life was spared hours before he was set to be executed.

“I want you all to know, we have a new fight that starts tonight. We have a new fight that starts tonight. We can’t lose our momentum. We can’t lose our energy,” said Jabee, a local artist and Jones supporter.

The overarching message was to keep up the momentum and to keep faith. 

“The criminal justice system in Oklahoma and in the United States is broken and that is why Julius is where he is. There is so much work that we must do,” said Cece Jones-Davis, another Jones advocate.

“Is this an effective deterrent to crime and secondly, is this the right thing to do as the state to take a human life?” said Bishop Poulson Reed, with the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma. “It’s been an agonizing and emotional day today." 

“I hope the uncertainties in the Jones case will cause us, as a state, to reexamine the effectiveness and morality of the death penalty. Most people in faith believe that justice can be rendered without taking a human life,” the bishop said.

“It’s not a nobody else. Nobody can take the credit for that. It's God,” said Jabee. 

“God is so good. If it wouldn’t have been for God, we never would have made it,” said Davis-Jones.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City commended the governor on his decision to grant clemency in the face of “intense pressure.”

“To oppose the death penalty is not to be soft on crime. Rather, it is to be strong on the dignity of life,” the archdiocese said.

Supporters of Jones also made it a point to think of the family of Paul Howell and prayed for them at the vigil.