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An Oklahoma death row inmate died by lethal injection on Thursday, the first execution in the state since the start of the year.
The execution of 62-year-old Scott Eizember took place at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester at 10 a.m. local time. He was pronounced dead at 10:15 a.m., the Associated Press reported.
As Eizember was strapped to a gurney with an intravenous line in his arm, he said: "I'm at peace. My conscience is clear, completely. I love my children," according to AP.
He could be seen speaking with his spiritual adviser, who was inside the execution chamber, as he began to receive the lethal injection, and at one point mouthed: "I love you" toward his daughter and lawyers in the witness room.
Eizember was convicted of the 2003 killings of 76-year-old A.J. Cantrell and 70-year-old Patsy Cantrell. Prosecutors said that he broke into their Depew, Oklahoma, home in October of that year so that he could watch for his former girlfriend who lived across the street.
When the couple came home unexpectedly, Eizember fatally shot Patsy Cantrell and beat A.J. Cantrell to death with a shotgun, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said that after killing them, Eizember entered his ex-girlfriend's home across the street. There, he shot her son in the back and attacked her mother, though both survived.
Eizember led authorities on a 37-day manhunt after fleeing in a stolen vehicle and was captured in Texas. He was convicted of first-degree murder for killing A.J. Cantrell and sentenced to death, AP reported. For Patsy Cantrell's death, he was convicted of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 150 years in prison.
Last month, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to reject clemency for Eizember, according to AP.
His attorney, Mark Henricksen, argued that there was "no reason to kill him next month other than revenge" and said that Eizember had "felt remorse every day of his imprisonment." Eizember apologized while addressing the board on video from prison.
"I make no excuses. I belong in prison," he said. "I've said that right from the start, and I apologize profusely to all the victims, and when I say all, I mean the entire Creek County community."
Though the Oklahoma Department of Corrections initially rejected Eizember's request to have his spiritual adviser inside the death chamber with him—which spurred Eizember to file a lawsuit—it reversed that decision on Wednesday. The department said in a statement that the reversal came after speaking with the Cantrell family.
"The family members of the victims in this case are ready for closure, and they understand that the lawsuit challenging the decision to deny chamber access to the activist could lead to Thursday's execution being stayed," Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Steven Harpe said.
"Far too often, it is the victim and the victim's family who are overlooked in these cases. We want to make sure their concerns are heard instead of everything being solely about the inmate."
Newsweek reached out to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Oklahoma attorney general and a lawyer for Eizember for comment.
About the writer
Zoe Strozewski is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and global politics. Zoe ... Read more