Oklahoma Executes Philip Hancock, Death Row Inmate Claiming Self-Defense in Double Homicide

Oklahoma executed Philip Dean Hancock, who claimed self-defense in a double homicide case from 2001. Despite a clemency recommendation from the state's Pardon and Parole Board, Governor Kevin Stitt declined to commute Hancock's sentence. Hancock's legal team had requested DNA testing on the physical evidence, which they believed could prove his self-defense claim, but the request was denied. Hancock maintained his innocence until his execution, criticizing the Attorney General's office. He thanked his legal team and expressed hope for exoneration after his death. Hancock's attorneys argued that he shot and killed the two men in self-defense after they attacked him. The state argued that Hancock's accounts were inconsistent and didn't align with physical evidence. This was the fourth execution in Oklahoma this year.