The Oklahoma County Courthouse in downtown Oklahoma City, pictured Aug. 15, 2024. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)
OKLAHOMA CITY – Prosecutors on Thursday approved a plan to request $500,000 from the Legislature next session to create a new team to provide assistance with death penalty cases.
The team would be housed within the District Attorneys Council and involve eight to 12 capital homicide attorneys. It would meet three to four times a year to provide case assessments, said Ryan Stephenson, District Attorneys Council assistant executive coordinator.
The team would help district attorneys draft motions and assist with statements and experts, and help with legal research.
The goal would be to “improve the quality and consistency of death penalty casework statewide,” according to a document provided by the agency.
“I think one of the nice things about this request is that it’s a really defendable one at the Capitol, regardless of whether you’re talking to people who are for the death penalty or against it,” Stephenson said.
In 2017, the Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission issued a 300-page report with 46 recommendations.
The Commission recommended additional training on issues such as the limitations of eyewitness identification, jailhouse informants and common causes of wrongful convictions.
“This training alone, I think, just checks seven of those boxes,” Stephenson said. “So, even those that are traditionally against the death penalty at the Capitol, theoretically, should be on board with this.”
The unit would not be able to control how prosecutors handle cases, but would serve as a resource for them, he said.
The funding would also help cover the cost of a dedicated analyst who would study and report on major crime and capital case data to help prosecutors make informed policy and litigation decisions.
“This team is only going to help us ensure that we are doing the best work, not only for the people of Oklahoma, but specifically the victims involved in these cases,” said District Attorneys Council Chairman Kyle Cabelka, who serves as the top prosecutor for Comanche and Cotton counties.
Stephenson said he would recommend moving forward with creating the unit regardless of whether lawmakers provided funding.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a member of the DAC, had no comment on the proposal.
Drummond was instrumental in getting a third trial for former death row inmate Richard Glossip, who awaits retrial for his involvement in the 1997 slaying of Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese.
Drummond was highly critical of how prosecutors handled the case.
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