Stop the Execution of Bigler Stouffer in Oklahoma

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt

Bigler "Bud" Stouffer II is on death row in Oklahoma for the 1985 murder of Linda Reaves and faces a possible execution date of December 9, 2021. He has always maintained his innocence, however on November 17, 2021, the Oklahoma Pardon & Parole Board voted 3-2 to recommend clemency for Stouffer. Of note, their concern was only about Oklahoma's flawed lethal injection protocol.

Governor Stitt announced on December 3rd that he will not show mercy to this 79-year-old who has already served 37 years on death row. Stitt declined to follow the recommendation for clemency, but he can change his mind if he wants to. Please sign this petition. We are delivering signatures daily.

[See actual petition language below]


BACKGROUND

Read documents about this case.

A striking contrast exists between the State’s theory of the case and the physical evidence. Notable forensic experts, including Dr. Vincent DiMaio, pointed out that there would have been substantial blood on the clothing of the person responsible for the contact gunshot wound to Linda Reaves’s head. There was no blood on Mr. Stouffer’s clothing.

In short, the blood spatter evidence proves B.J. Stouffer’s innocence. Other forensic evidence, including DNA testing also points toward his innocence.

There is also a striking contrast between Mr. Stouffer and any common profile of a condemned prisoner. He comes from a stable middle class family. He was successful in school and in athletics. His church and his dad’s mechanic shop were his second and third homes. But in some areas he was far beyond adjusted to his surroundings. Playing for the Tulsa Coca-Cola baseball team, he batted .415, making him the Babe Ruth League’s national leader in batting average for that year. He was on the Oklahoma State University baseball team for one year before he dropped out. B.J. was making too much money to want to stay in school.

Through a combination of business ventures and employment, B.J. had accumulated assets of approximately $2.5 million before he was arrested.

Now 79 years old, in the decades B.J. has been on death row, he has consistently and adamantly proclaimed his innocence while continuing to prioritize religious activities.

Stouffer's execution is the third in a series of executions scheduled by Oklahoma in the coming months, even though prior to this spate the state's previous execution was more than five years ago in 2015.

In scheduling executions after so many years without one, Oklahoma makes itself an outlier in its use of the death penalty. The majority of other states are on a downward trend of executions, and increasingly, states are abolishing the practice altogether, including the southern state of Virginia, which repealed its death penalty law earlier this year.

Please sign the petition asking Governor Stitt to do everything within their power to ensure Stouffer does not face execution and to seek a path to clemency in the case.

Sponsored by

To: Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt
From: Gabriele Uhl

We are writing to you regarding Bigler Stouffer, who is on death row in Oklahoma for the 1985 murder of Linda Reaves and who faces a possible execution date of December 9, 2021.

A striking contrast exists between the State’s theory of the case and the physical evidence. Notable forensic experts, including Dr. Vincent DiMaio, pointed out that there would have been substantial blood on the clothing of the person responsible for the contact gunshot wound to Linda Reaves’s head. There was no blood on Mr. Stouffer’s clothing. In short, the blood spatter evidence proves B.J. Stouffer’s innocence. Other forensic evidence, including DNA testing also points toward his innocence.

Stouffer's execution is the third in a series of executions scheduled by Oklahoma in the coming months, even though prior to this spate the state's previous execution was more than five years ago in 2015.

In scheduling executions after so many years without one, Oklahoma makes itself an outlier in its use of the death penalty. The majority of other states are on a downward trend of executions, and increasingly, states are abolishing the practice altogether, including the southern state of Virginia, which repealed its death penalty law earlier this year.

We, the undersigned, ask that you do everything within your power to ensure Stouffer does not face execution and to seek a path to clemency in the case.

Thank you for time and attention to this urgent and serious matter.