Nineteen years after his conviction for murdering an elderly Oklahoma couple, a death row inmate was executed by lethal injection.
“I’m at peace,” said Scott James Eizember, with an intravenous line in his arm, according to an Associated Press report. “My conscience is clear, completely. I love my children.”
He was pronounced dead at 10:15 a.m. Thursday, the report noted.
Eizember was seen chatting with his spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeffrey Hood, who was in the execution chamber with the inmate as the lethal injection drugs were entering his body, the report said.
He lifted his head and mouthed the words, “I love you,” to his daughter and attorneys, the AP reported. They were among 17 witnesses present during the execution.
Eizember’s attorneys said the deaths of A.J. Cantrell, 76, and his 70-year-old wife Patsy, on Oct. 18, 2003, were unplanned and spontaneous. Attorney Mark Henricksen told Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board last month that his client’s life still had value.
“He has felt remorse every day of his imprisonment,” Henricksen told board members. “There is no reason to kill him next month other than revenge.”
Relatives of the slain Cantrell couple were present to witness justice for a family member but were exasperated at the nearly 20-year delay, according to the AP report.
“After living this nightmare, I must say that 20 years is too long for justice to be served,” Johnny Melton, the slain couple’s nephew, reportedly said in a statement. “We want to get it right and we absolutely want to ensure that everyone’s rights are protected, but the process is much too slow.”
Melton addressed the importance of addressing domestic violence and improving mental health treatment in the state of Oklahoma and across the nation.
“I know this is going to be a controversial statement, but I believe it to be a fact,” Melton said, the report noted. “It is the abuser who needs help. They need it when they are young.”
“By the time the victim needs help, it’s too late.”
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