ATLANTA - The State Board of Pardons and Paroles met today with representatives for condemned inmate Travis Clinton Hittson. The meeting was held to consider a request for clemency for Hittson. The Board’s decision is to deny clemency.

In reaching its decision, in addition to information received at today’s meeting, the Board reviewed all case materials from the comprehensive parole file on the inmate.

Hittson is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Wednesday, February 17, 2016, at 7 p.m. at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson for the 1992 murder of Conway Utterbeck in Houston County.

In February of 1993, Hittson was convicted of murder, theft by taking as a lesser offense of an armed robbery, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. The jury recommended a death sentence which was imposed in March of 1993. Hittson’s direct appeal proceedings and his state and federal habeas corpus proceedings have been concluded. The Superior Court of Houston County issued the order for the execution of Hittson.

In Georgia, the Parole Board has the sole constitutional authority to commute, or reduce, a death sentence to life with the possibility of parole or to life without the possibility of parole. The Board maintains a comprehensive file on every death-sentenced inmate. The file includes the history of the life of the condemned inmate, the inmate’s criminal history and the circumstances of the offense that was committed resulting in the death sentence..

For more information please contact Steve Hayes, Director of the Office of Communications, at 404-657-9450 or [email protected] or visit our website at www.pap.georgia.gov.