Victim's family to Governor Henry: Why? Governor candidate Congressman Ernest Istook will hold a dramatic press conference today at 4:45 pm at the Capitol. The press conference - to be held on the second floor in front of Governor Henry's office - will include the two sisters of murder victim Francisco Morales. Morales was murdered by illegal immigrant Osvaldo Torres who was later found guilty and was convicted of 1st degree murder. Governor Brad Henry granted him clemency. During their debate last week, Istook asked Henry this question: "A moment ago you claimed that you were cracking down on violent offenders [Yet] you [granted clemency to] Osvaldo Torres who murdered two people in Oklahoma City while their kids were in the very next room. He was sentenced to death. The courts upheld it, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld it. The jury sentenced it to him. The family members pleaded with you." "Yet because the Mexican government objected to executing one of their citizens who had come to Oklahoma illegally as part of a gang, the Mexican government objected, the ACLU said oh don't put that man to death even though he's guilty, and the World Court of the United Nations which has no authority, your Attorney General told you so, you granted clemency to a double murderer just because the Mexican government and the ACLU asked you to." Now Governor how can you justify that?" Henry kept changing his story claiming that either the Justice or State Departments requested intervention, but those departments have never backed up Henry's claim, and he has provided zero evidence of it. Istook responded by saying: "It doesn't matter who asks you to do the wrong thing, Governor Henry, so quit trying to shift the blame. You deserve to be lectured about the death penalty because you failed to enforce it." Below is a statement released yesterday by the sisters of Francisco Morales, victim of Osvaldo Torres. Torres is an illegal immigrant from Mexico convicted of 1st degree murder. October 31, 2006 Open Letter: We are family members of Francisco Morales who was murdered by Osvaldo Torres and granted clemency by Governor Brad Henry. Torres was an illegal immigrant convicted of first degree murder. He killed two people; one was our brother. A jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death. Before his execution the government of Mexico and the International Criminal Court lobbied Governor Henry to grant him clemency. We pleaded with the governor's office not to do it. We wrote him letters. We met with his staff. Governor Henry didn't meet with us. And Governor Henry granted a convicted killer clemency. We have only one question: why? Sincerely, Consuelo Herrera Sister of Francisco Morales Olga Mayes Sister of Francisco Morales Posted at 11/01/2006 11:25:00 AM