Oklahoma Death Row Inmate Makes Final Plea

As the clock ticks down to his scheduled execution, Oklahoma death row inmate Emmanuel Littlejohn is making a last-ditch appeal for clemency hoping to convince Gov. Kevin Stitt to spare his life.

Just days remain before the state plans to carry out the death sentence for Littlejohn, convicted in the 1992 robbery and murder of a convenience store owner.

“Gov. Stitt, please spare my life,” Littlejohn said in a recorded message. “I would appreciate it if you would save my life… I pray that you would please save my life.”

 Littlejohn’s mother, Ceily Mason, echoed her son’s plea in a message of her own. “Governor, please think about it. Please save my child,” she implored, “Killing my son, you’d be killing me too. I wasn’t a good mother. God gave me a second chance. Give my son a second chance, please.”

10 billboards in Oklahoma City are displaying the message, “Gov. Stitt: ‘Be Merciful, Just as Your Father is Merciful.’” The message is part of a broader campaign from Death Penalty Action, a group of anti-death penalty activists.

Other advocates include Littlejohn’s spiritual advisor, Reverend Jeff Hood, who has been actively calling for clemency. Hood believes Littlejohn’s role in the crime has been mischaracterized and is praying for a merciful outcome. Hood claims Littlejohn’s role in the crime has been misrepresented.

More than three decades ago, Littlejohn and his accomplice, Glenn Bethany, robbed the Root-N-Scoot convenience store in south Oklahoma City. During the robbery on June 19, 1992, the 31-year-old convenience store owner Kenneth Meers, tried to intervene with a broom in hand. He was shot in the face during the confrontation. 

Eyewitness accounts vary on who pulled the trigger. Littlejohn’s supporters claim his accomplice was the actual shooter. Prosecutors maintain Littlejohn is responsible for the shooting.

Bethany was convicted of first-degree murder and is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole, while Littlejohn received the death penalty. The inconsistencies in the case are why activists believe Littlejohn should be granted clemency.

During his clemency hearing, Littlejohn said, “I understand their [Meer’s family] emotions and I pray for them. But I didn't kill their son."

The Meers family has been vocal in their opposition to any reprieve for Littlejohn.

The victim’s brother, Bill Meers, expressed the family’s position again during last month’s clemency hearing. “I believe my mom died of a broken heart,” he said, referring to their mother, Dolores Meers, who passed away before the hearing. “I cannot and will not forgive this man for carelessly finding Kenny’s life meant nothing.”

Attorney General Gentner Drummond also opposes clemency, describing Littlejohn as “a violent and manipulative criminal who refuses to take responsibility for his actions.”

Defending the punishment before the Pardon and Parole Board, he said, the Meers family has waited too long for justice and the death penalty is appropriate. 

Despite this, the Pardon and Parole Board recommended clemency in August—a decision that now rests in the hands of Gov. Stitt. 

Stitt, who lifted the moratorium on executions in 2020, has granted clemency only once during his five years in office. 

Stitt has until the execution to decide Littlejohn’s fate. If Stitt has not announced by Wednesday, activists plan to deliver a petition with thousands of signatures to his office. 

Littlejohn’s fate now rests in the hands of Gov. Stitt, who has yet to indicate what action he will take. The execution is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sept. 26 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.