Pardon & Parole Board Denies Parole For Convicted Serial Rapist, Former Oklahoma City Police Officer

A fired Oklahoma City officer and convicted serial rapist was denied parole on Monday. Daniel Holtzclaw's case went before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board for a hearing on one of the 18 sexual misconduct sentences.

Holtzclaw is serving a 263 year prison sentence. Holtzclaw was not allowed to appear before the pardon and parole board because he is considered a violent offender. 

The five board members had a long list of names to consider. Holtzclaw was number 99 on the docket and in less than one minute, the board unanimously denied Holtzclaw parole for one of 18 convictions from 2015.

He was found guilty on multiple counts of rape and other sexual crimes while on duty and employed by the Oklahoma City Police Department. The day before the board hearing, Holtzclaw's supporters released a video of one of his accusers recanting her original testimony.

During the video, an attorney asked Tabitha Barnes how many times Holtzclaw touched her inappropriately. She replied, “He didn’t touch me.” The attorney then asked, “He never touched you?” Barnes again said no.

Barnes was one of several victims named in federal civil lawsuits against the City of Oklahoma City and Holtzclaw. In the video hearing, an attorney asked Barnes about evidence from the trial.

“Five lines from the bottom of count one directed TB to expose her breasts and then touching her bare breasts with his hands without her consent,” said attorney “That’s a mistake?” Barnes replied, “He didn’t touch me.” 

Holtzclaw's supporters also pointed out the judge who presided over his trial. Former Judge Timothy Henderson is accused of sexually abusing three state prosecutors. Holtzclaw defenders said Henderson held secret hearings with prosecutors about DNA evidence from the case.

A settlement hearing for one of the civil cases is scheduled in federal court on February 23rd.

Holtzclaw’s family told News 9 they will continue to work on his criminal appeals case. His sister Jenny Holtzclaw sent a statement following the board denying her brother parole.

“We are going to continue to fight for Daniel's freedom because he is innocent. The Parole Board's denial of parole for Daniel shows how difficult it is to overturn a wrongful conviction. We have provided evidence, including video deposition testimony, proving that a woman who was forced to testify at Daniel's trial while under the influence of PCP now testifies, "He didn't touch me. He didn't touch me. He did not touch me." Her wrongful allegation was one of many procured by the Oklahoma City Police Department in a biased, flawed, and unethical investigation.  

These police department errors put all Oklahomans at risk until they are recognized and corrected. Detectives solicited the wrongful allegations while railroading Daniel because they were ignorant that DNA found on the fly of his uniform pants is explained by innocent DNA transfer after pat-searching civilians.  

The faulty investigation led to Daniel's unfair trial where the DNA evidence was again misrepresented and shouts of "Give him Life" permeated former Judge Henderson's courtroom.  The City of Oklahoma City now refuses to release evidence that will help prove Daniel received an unfair trial. We encourage the media to ask the City to release OCPD police DNA lab manager's written review of analyst Elaine Taylor’s error-filled DNA testimony, which numerous scientific experts have stated is grounds for a retrial. 

This is the secret document that was shielded from release by former Judge Henderson during secret hearings in 2017, overlapping with his sexual misconduct involving a female prosecutor.  

We believe that justice will prevail because the truth sets the innocent free. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to present the truth that Daniel is innocent and was wrongfully convicted.”