On Wednesday, October 14, 2026, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board will hear James D. Pavatt’s request for clemency. Oklahoma has set his execution for November 12. The hearing is public, and anyone can watch it online.
How to watch
- When: Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Central (10:00 a.m. Eastern)
- Zoom: https://doc-ok.zoomgov.com/j/1614431624
- Webinar ID: 161 443 1624
- By phone: 1 669 254 5252 or +1 669 216 1590
- In person: Oklahoma Health Care Authority, 4345 N Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105
If the link doesn’t open directly, copy it into a new browser window. The board posts its schedule and any changes on its meetings page.
The case
Pavatt was sentenced to death for the 2001 killing of Rob Andrew, a 39-year-old Oklahoma City advertising executive and father of two. Prosecutors told the jury Pavatt was the shooter. His attorneys now point out that in the separate prosecution of Brenda Andrew, the victim’s wife, the state repeatedly told a different story: that she alone fired the gun. According to his lawyers, prosecutors made that argument at least 24 times.
The state cannot have it both ways. When the government argues one version of the truth to convict one person and a contradictory version to convict another, at least one of those juries was told something that was not true. That should trouble anyone, whatever they think about the death penalty.
His clemency petition also points to a distinguished Air Force career and 25 years as a model prisoner, including work as a law clerk for other incarcerated people. Attorney General Gentner Drummond is urging the board to deny clemency.
Why it matters
In Oklahoma, the governor can only grant clemency in a capital case if the board recommends it first. A no vote on Wednesday effectively ends the clemency path. These hearings are where the full record of a person’s life is laid out in public, often for the first time, and they rarely get the audience they deserve. Public attention is what holds the process accountable.
Oklahoma readers: Board members can be reached at Boardmembers@ppb.ok.gov or by voicemail at 405-522-9227.
Check back after the hearing for a report on what was said.
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