»Execution of Oklahoma death row prisoner for killing elderly couple«
Scott James Eizember, a 62-year-old man who murdered an elderly couple 19 years ago, was executed in Oklahoma on Thursday through lethal injection.
The Associated Press reports that Eizember stated, with an intravenous line in his arm, “I am at peace.” “My conscience is quite clear. I cherish my children.”
Wednesday around 5:10 p.m., Eizember consumed his final supper. On Thursday at 10:01 a.m., the fatal medications were administered, and he was pronounced dead at 10:15 a.m.
As the execution began, Eizember could be seen conversing with his spiritual advisor, Rev. Jeffrey Hood, who the Oklahoma Department of Corrections initially barred from the execution chamber due to his history of anti-death penalty activism and an arrest, but later allowed in after the victims’ family made a request.
At one point, Eizember lifted his head and said “I love you” to his daughter and lawyers.
On October 18, 2003, he was convicted of murdering an elderly couple, AJ Cantrell, 76, and Patsy Cantrell, 70.
The Reverend Jeffrey Hood of Arkansas addresses the media on January 11, 2023, in Oklahoma City, before protesters present petitions opposing the death penalty to the office of Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.
AP
Eizember broke into their residence in order to spy on his ex-girlfriend, Kathryn Smith, who resided across the street. Prosecutors stated at trial that when the Cantrells returned home, Eizember shot and killed Patsy before bludgeoning AJ to death with the gun.
After murdering the Cantrells, he broke into his ex-residence girlfriend’s and attacked her son and mother before fleeing in a stolen vehicle.
Eizember was on the run for months before he was killed in Texas by a man he attempted to keep hostage.
The past two decades, according to the couple’s nephew Johnny Melton, have been “absolutely excruciating.”
Johnny Melton, the nephew of the murdered couple A.J. and Patsy Cantrell, makes a statement on behalf of the Cantrell family at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on January 12, 2023.
AP
“There is no conclusion today, but a new chapter has begun in our life and a new page has been turned. “Having lived through this nightmare, I must say that 20 years is too long for justice to be served,” Melton said following his death.
“We absolutely want to get it right and protect everyone’s rights, but the process is moving far too slowly.”
Thursday, Eizember’s counsel did not respond to a request for comment.
»Execution of Oklahoma death row prisoner for killing elderly couple«