Federal judge to hear arguments from five death row inmates in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - A federal judge will hear arguments on Monday from attorneys for five death row inmates in Oklahoma.
The inmates want their execution dates to be delayed pending the results of an upcoming trial in February.
One of those inmates is John Grant, who is scheduled to be put to death later this week.
John Marion Grant was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Gay Carter, a kitchen supervisor at an Oklahoma prison.
At the time of the murder, Grant was serving a prison sentence for robbery.
Court documents say that Grant stabbed Carter 16 times in the back at the Dick Conner Correctional Center.
His execution was initially scheduled for Dec. 4, 2014, but was stayed following a review of Oklahoma’s lethal injection protocol.
His execution is now set for Oct. 28, 2021.
Earlier this month, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board denied Grant's request for clemency.
Grant is one of five death row inmates, including Julius Jones, who are asking a federal judge to delay their executions.
Lawyers for the inmates want the judge to either uphold an agreement with former Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter to not hold executions while that lawsuit is pending. Otherwise, they are asking for a stay of executions since the lawsuit challenges whether Oklahoma's execution protocol is constitutional.