Death Row Prisoner Convicted In 1995 Tulsa Murder To Have Clemency Hearing

A man set to be executed next month for murdering a Tulsa mother in 1995 will have his clemency hearing Wednesday.

Jemaine Cannon was convicted of beating and stabbing Sharonda Clark.

Cannon has always said it was in self-defense, but the arrest affidavit says the evidence does not back that up.

Cannon's attorney, along with some lawmakers and the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, spoke on Tuesday to reporters about the case.

In 1991, Cannon was convicted for assault. While serving time in prison for that crime, he escaped while taking part in a prison work program.

When Sharonda Clark did not pick up her kids from daycare in February of 1995, her grandmother filed a missing person's report and police went to her home to check on her.

The arrest affidavit says police found her on the bathroom floor with several stab wounds to her neck. The affidavit says the blood trail from her bedroom showed she had been in a violent fight for her life.

The affidavit says Cannon was staying at Clark's home, near 41st and Sheridan.

Clark's husband Prophet Kelly Clark told News On 6 his wife did not know Cannon.

Cannon's mother told police Cannon said Clark had come at him with a knife and after he took it away, "he just went crazy on her."

However, the investigator said the evidence was not consistent with Clark being the aggressor or this being a case of self-defense.

Cannon was convicted of Clark's murder in 1996. Cannon's attorney said Cannon deserves clemency because he was "denied his right to testify" during his trial.

"There's a dispute as to who attacked whom first. There is evidence to support the idea that the decedent came after Mr. Cannon with a butcher knife. She got the worst of the exchange and died,” Mark Henricksen said.

In a statement, Tulsa County DA Steve Kunzweiler says in part, "...A judge and jury decided the death penalty was a fitting punishment for Cannon, a decision that should be respected. He exhausted all of his appeals and now must face the consequences of his actions. Sharonda Clark's family deserves to see justice for their lost loved one."

The Pardon and Parole Board will vote Wednesday whether to recommend Cannon get clemency.