Federal authorities have declared their intention to pursue the death penalty against an inmate accused of murdering his cellmate at the Federal Transfer Center located in Oklahoma City. On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma announced the decision to seek capital punishment for 27-year-old Jasper Reed. A federal grand jury in Oklahoma City recently indicted Reed on charges that include first-degree murder, attempted murder, and assault resulting in serious bodily harm.
The Federal Transfer Center in question serves as a primary transit point for approximately 1,400 male and female federal inmates being relocated to different prison facilities nationwide. Allegations against Reed state that while serving time for a firearms-related crime in New Mexico, he violently attacked his initial cellmate, known as T.R. in court files, on April 27, 2024. According to the affidavit signed by a federal agent, a corrections officer discovered Reed atop the victim, hands around his neck with both men covered in blood before being separated by the guards. Although T.R. sustained severe injuries, including multiple fractures to the face and neck, he survived the ordeal.
Subsequently, Reed was placed in a cell with another inmate, referred to as R.P., who was discovered dead on May 8, 2024. The autopsy of R.P. revealed homicide by manual strangulation as the cause of death, further escalating the situation. Attorneys for Reed, from the Federal Public Defender’s office, have chosen not to make any public statements regarding the ongoing case.
Simultaneously, it was reported that hours after returning to the White House, former President Donald Trump enacted an executive order concerning the death penalty. The order directs the U.S. attorney general to ensure that states possess sufficient lethal injection drugs to conduct executions. Furthermore, this directive urges the Justice Department to not only pursue the death penalty where federal cases warrant but also assist states in preserving the practice of capital punishment, addressing challenges in obtaining the necessary drugs for executions.
Prior to Trump’s presidential term, federal executions had been halted following a moratorium established by previous Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2021. At that time, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment, leaving only three individuals on federal death row by the end of his administration. The recent developments underscore ongoing debates and complexities within the U.S. justice system regarding the application and future of the death penalty.