O'Connor, McManus' ex-wife, as a state liaison to address political concerns from Oz's staff. Devlin reaffirms his support for the death penalty during the sentencing of Oz inmate Cyril O'Reily for the murder of another prisoner, Li Chen. As O'Reily has a low IQ, his execution causes several liberal groups to call for an appeal against his sentence. Devlin's public image then diminishes, although efforts to stop O'Reily's execution fail. Season 6 Race riots erupt statewide as Wilson Loewen, a powerful mayor who aided Devlin's election, is convicted for his involvement in a 1963 murder of two black girls by the Ku Klux Klan. Devlin makes the situation worse when, off the record, he says that he will pardon Loewen. He is forced to publicly backtrack and send Loewen to Oz to placate the black community. However, Devlin tells Glynn that he will pardon Loewen after the public uproar dies out, and orders the warden to protect Loewen while he is incarcerated. When Loewen blackmails Devlin for an immediate pardon, Devlin has his African-American assistant, Perry Loftus, use staff member Adrian Johnson to arrange Loewen's murder. Meanwhile, Devlin suggests that O'Reily undergo ECT treatment despite the protests of O'Reily's family and attorneys. As Glynn and a detective investigate Loewen's murder, they discover Johnson's involvement. When Devlin and Loftus are informed of what's happening, the governor has the detective replaced to draw suspicion away from himself. Glynn ultimately learns the truth, causing Devlin and Loftus to order Johnson to arrange for Glynn's death. Johnson pays an inmate to kill Glynn, whose death angers Oz's staff. After McManus ties the governor's office to the murders, Devlin orders Querns to fire him. When Oz is evacuated during an anthrax attack, Devlin realizes that McManus is on the verge of ending his political career. During the final episode, several clues indicate that Devlin remains in office. However, McManus is still shown in his position, making the ultimate outcome inconclusive. Oz (TV series) characters Fictional state governors of the United States Fictional Republicans (United States) Television characters introduced in 1997