Free Joshua Christon

September 25,2025

https://oklahomawatch.org/newsletter/first-watch-stuff-you-should-know-318/

The Oklahoma Watch

In 1999, 9-year-old Joshua Christon admired Harriet Tubman’s resilience, as he told The Oklahoman. A year later, he dreamed of playing for the Dallas Cowboys. But in 2007, at 18, Christon’s life derailed.

Prosecutors accused him of fatally shooting Christopher Thompson, 23, at an Oklahoma City gas station, pinning him as the triggerman in a gang-related attack. Alongside Leroy McKissick and Kevin Parker, Christon faced arrest. Rap lyrics found at his home helped secure his life sentence, while McKissick and Parker got lighter terms.

In July, the NAACP and Oklahoma Innocence Project revealed withheld evidence, including a .45-caliber gun under McKissick’s bed and his prison confession to the murder. That mirrored Richard Glossip’s case, where prosecutorial misconduct led to a new trial.

Christon’s family, led by his brother Octavius, demanded justice, arguing 18 years sufficed for an accessory role. Pastor Theodis Manning praised Christon’s prison behavior, urging his release. A ruling on his relief petition looms in late September.

J.C. Hallman and Haley Parsley had all the details in their story.