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An Oklahoma death row inmate convicted of raping and murdering a University of Oklahoma dance student in 1996 plans to continue his death sentence, rejecting his chance at a clemency hearing.
Anthony Sanchez, 44, told the Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday that he doesn’t suspect Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, would spare his life.
“I’ve been in my cell, and I’ve seen prisoner after prisoner after prisoner receive leniency and be refused leniency,” Sanchez said. “Anyway, the prisoners are not doing well.”
“Anyway, the prisoners are not doing well.”
Anthony Sanchez, right, is taken to a Cleveland County courtroom for a preliminary hearing in Norman, Oklahoma, February 23, 2005. (Jaconna Aguirre/The Oklahoman via AP, file)
Sanchez cited the recent cases of Bigler Stouffer and James Coddington, both of whom were executed after a five-member Pardon and Parole Board recommended clemency by a 3-2 vote. It was later ultimately rejected by Stitt.
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“They went out and poured their hearts out, man,” Sanchez told the AP. “Why would I want to be a part of something like that, when you’re going to sit there and raise these guys’ hopes?”
“Why not try to prove my innocence in court,” he added.
“Why would I want to be a part of something like that, when you’re going to sit there and raise these guys’ hopes?”
In 2021, the Republican governor granted clemency to Julius Jones and commuted his death sentence to life in prison without parole.
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In April, the Oklahoma Court of Criminals rejected Sanchez’s plea of innocence.
Sanchez has maintained that his father, Thomas Sanchez, was the actual killer of 21-year-old Juli Busken.
Earlier, Thomas’ former girlfriend claimed that he confessed to killing the student by suicide prior to his death. The court ruled that the allegations were hearsay and not enough to disprove “convincing evidence” of Anthony Sanchez’s guilt.
The Oklahoma death row inmate who will be executed in September 2023 for the 1996 murder of a University of Oklahoma dance student said Thursday, June 22, 2023, that he plans to turn down his chance at a clemency hearing because there is little hope is that the governor would ever spare his life. (AP/file)
Busken’s death went unsolved for years until DNA recovered from her clothing linked Anthony Sanchez to the crime. He was convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to death in 2006.
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She was kidnapped on December 20, 1996 from her apartment complex in Norman, Oklahoma. Her body was found that night in southeast Oklahoma City. She had been raped and shot in the head.
As Sanchez intends to turn down an opportunity for clemency, he is expected to be killed by lethal injection on September 21, 2023.
Governor Stitt’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a writer on Fox News Digital’s breaking news team. You can reach her on Twitter at @s_rumpfwhiteten.
