Convicted murderer George John Hanson has been transferred to Oklahoma from a federal prison in Louisiana. The transfer was facilitated by the state Department of Corrections at the request of Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Hanson is now at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, where his death sentence is set to be carried out later this year.
Hanson, also known as John Fitzgerald Hanson, and an accomplice were responsible for the carjacking and kidnapping of Mary Bowles from a Tulsa shopping mall in 1999. They subsequently murdered the 77-year-old woman near Owasso. Hanson's accomplice also killed Jerald Max Thurman, who witnessed the crime.
Despite being sentenced to death by a Tulsa County jury, Hanson had been serving a life sentence for bank robbery in Louisiana. Attorney General Drummond expressed gratitude towards U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Bureau of Prisons for permitting Hanson's transfer after previous opposition from the Biden Administration.
"For the family and friends of Mary Bowles, the wait for justice has been a long and frustrating one," Drummond stated. "While the Biden Administration inexplicably protected this vicious killer from the execution chamber, I am grateful President Trump and Attorney General Bondi recognized the importance of this murderer being back in Oklahoma so justice can be served."
The transfer request was made on January 23, coinciding with President Trump's executive order aimed at ensuring capital punishment laws are respected and implemented.
The Attorney General’s Office plans to request that the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals schedule Hanson's execution later this year.