Stitt denies clemency for death row inmate

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has denied clemency for a death row inmate sentenced to die for the 1985 shooting death of a Putnam City schoolteacher. Stitt’s decision clears the way for Bigler Stouffer II to receive a lethal injection on Thursday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.

The Governor’s decision comes despite a 3-2 recommendation from the state’s Pardon and Parole Board that Stouffer’s sentence be commuted to life in prison without parole.

Stouffer has maintained his innocence in the attack on Linda Reaves and her boyfriend Doug Ivens that left Reaves dead and Ivens seriously wounded.