Death row minister sues Oklahoma Corrections agency for $10M

By SEAN MURPHY
Associated Press Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A spiritual adviser to several Oklahoma death row inmates is suing the state’s Department of Corrections for defamation. In the federal lawsuit filed Friday in Oklahoma City, the Rev. Jeff Hood of Arkansas is seeking $10 million in damages. The lawsuit alleges the agency and its spokesman defamed him in a statement that said he was being denied access to the death chamber because of his history as an anti-death penalty activist. The statement indicated Hood had been arrested multiple times and “demonstrated a blatant disregard for the experience of victims’ families.” The Department of Corrections ultimately reversed its decision and allowed Hood to be inside the execution chamber for the January execution of Scott Eizember.