In McAlester, the state Pardon and Parole Board voted...

In McAlester, the state Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to recommend clemency for death-row inmate Osbaldo Torres, 29. Torres was convicted of killing Maria Yanez, 35, and her common-law husband, Francisco Morales, 38, in 1993 in Oklahoma City. Torres and George Ochoa, 29, who prosecutors contend was the trigger man in execution-style shootings, were sentenced to death. Carlos de Icaza, Mexican ambassador to the United States, spoke in support of clemency before the parole board. He told the board that Mexico opposes capital punishment, and in this particular case he felt clemency was warranted because no proof was presented that Torres was the shooter in the crime. Torres is scheduled to be executed on May 18. The U.N. Court of International Justice ruled March 31 the United States had violated Torres' rights, and ordered the nation to delay the executions of Torres and 50 other Mexican nationals until the court could hear a suit brought by Mexico. Torres is the 1st Mexican on death row to seek relief under the world court ruling. Susan B. Loving, chairwoman of the Parole Board, said Torres' rights under the Vienna Convention were violated. She said the board will let a higher authority determine what bearing the world court ruling has on Torres' case. "We'll let the governor make this decision," she said. The Mexican government called on the governor to accept the board's recommendation and grant clemency.