President Trump's recently appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi takes immediate action on capital punishment cases within days of assuming office.
According to AP News, Bondi has directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to transfer George John Hanson from a Louisiana federal facility to Oklahoma state custody, where he faces execution for the 1999 murder of an elderly woman.
The transfer order marks a significant shift from the previous administration's stance on death penalty cases.
Hanson, 60, has been serving a life sentence in federal prison for multiple convictions while simultaneously holding a death sentence in Oklahoma for the kidnapping and murder of 77-year-old Mary Bowles from a Tulsa shopping mall.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond expressed strong support for Bondi's decisive action on the transfer request. The state's top prosecutor had sought to have Hanson moved before Oklahoma's scheduled March 20 execution to ensure his eligibility for the next available execution date in June.
In a memo addressing the Bureau of Prisons director, Bondi emphasized the importance of fulfilling obligations to both the victim's family and the public. Her directive aligns with President Trump's executive order promoting more active support for capital punishment implementation.
The case highlights the complex intersection of state and federal jurisdiction in death penalty cases. While Hanson faces execution in Oklahoma, he has been serving time in a Louisiana federal facility for separate criminal convictions predating his state death sentence.
The pursuit of Hanson's transfer has a contentious history spanning multiple administrations. Former Oklahoma Attorney General John O'Connor had previously attempted to secure Hanson's transfer through legal channels.
When the Bureau of Prisons denied the transfer request during President Biden's administration, O'Connor initiated legal action against the agency in 2022. The denial came from regional director Heriberto Tellez, who determined the transfer would not serve the public interest.
Attorney General Drummond publicly criticized the previous administration's decision, describing the refusal to transfer Hanson as "appalling." The stark contrast between the Biden administration's resistance and Bondi's swift approval underscores the shifting priorities in federal death penalty policy.
The transfer order for George John Hanson represents a crucial development in a case that has spanned over two decades since Mary Bowles' murder in 1999.
Hanson, who appears in Oklahoma court records as John Fitzgerald Hanson, will move from federal custody in Louisiana to face execution in Oklahoma, pending the completion of transfer procedures.
The federal Public Defender's Office, representing Hanson, has not yet issued any statement regarding Bondi's transfer order. The case continues to demonstrate the ongoing tension between state and federal authorities in managing death row inmates with multiple jurisdictional sentences.
