Gov. Brad Henry commuted the death sentence of Osbaldo...

Gov. Brad Henry commuted the death sentence of Osbaldo Torres to life without parole. Henry's decision came shortly after the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals voted 3-2 to give Osbaldo Torres' an indefinite stay of execution and grant his request for a lower court hearing on the state's failure to inform him of his right to contact the Mexican consulate after his arrest. "My heart goes out to the family of Mr. Morales and Ms. Yanez. This was a difficult decision, but I believe clemency is warranted by a number of issues involved in this case," Henry said in a statement. Torres is one of 51 Mexicans on death row nationwide cited in a March 31 ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. The world court found the inmates' rights were violated because they were not told they could receive help from their governments as guaranteed by the 1963 Vienna Convention. The decision makes the state criminal appeals court ruling moot. Arizona, Arkansas, California, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon and Texas also have Mexicans on death row who fall under the world court ruling (see also February 10, 2003 and May 7, 2004).