United States Attorney General Pam Bondi has approved the transfer of convicted murderer George John Hanson to Oklahoma for his execution. This decision follows a request from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond last month.
Hanson, also known as John Fitzgerald Hanson, was involved in the 1999 carjacking and kidnapping of 77-year-old Mary Bowles from a Tulsa mall. He subsequently shot her at an isolated location near Owasso. Hanson's accomplice then killed Jerald Max Thurman, who witnessed the crime. Hanson is currently serving a life sentence in a Louisiana federal prison for bank robbery.
Drummond's request came on January 23, coinciding with an executive order by President Trump aimed at ensuring capital punishment laws are respected and implemented. The order also seeks to counteract any obstruction by politicians and judges.
In response to his impending transfer, Hanson filed for emergency relief in a Louisiana federal district court. However, the U.S. Department of Justice recommended denying his petition on Wednesday night. Following this recommendation, Bondi filed a memorandum directing Hanson's transfer according to Drummond's request.
"I appreciate Attorney General Bondi's swift action in this case and her commitment to ensuring that justice is served for the death of Mary Bowles," said Drummond.
Drummond has requested that Hanson be moved to the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center before March 20 so he can be eligible for execution in June.
Hanson was originally scheduled for execution on December 15, 2022. Drummond criticized the Biden Administration’s earlier refusal to transfer Hanson as “the epitome of subverting and obstructing the execution of a capital sentence.”