A Comanche County judge has approved Attorney General Gentner Drummond's request for a reevaluation of death row inmate Ricky Ray Malone's competency. This decision is crucial to proceed with the execution related to the 2003 murder of Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Nikky Green.
The court, responding to a motion filed by Drummond in December, instructed the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to conduct this reevaluation. All parties involved are expected to agree on the reevaluation requirements by March 5.
"Trooper Green’s family has waited more than 20 excruciating years for justice to be served," stated Drummond. "At long last, this case appears to be moving forward, and we are one step closer to justice being served on the monster who took the life of Trooper Green."
The court highlighted that it has been over six years since Malone's competence for execution was last assessed.
Malone was convicted for fatally shooting Trooper Green during a traffic stop in Cotton County on December 26, 2003.