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#Post#: 552--------------------------------------------------
~ Scott Eizember, 12Jan23, (OK) ~
By: BuzzC Date: December 16, 2022, 1:48 pm
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Clemency denied to death row inmate convicted in slayings of
Oklahoma elderly couple--
December 7th, 2022
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The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 on Wednesday to
deny clemency to convicted killer Scott Eizember.
Eizember, 61, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection
Jan. 12 for the 2003 slayings of A.J. and Patsy Cantrell in
Depew.
Eizember was sentenced to death for the fatal bludgeoning of
A.J. Cantrell, 76, and to 150 years in prison for the fatal
shooting of Patsy Cantrell, 70.
He broke into their home to spy on an ex-girlfriend who lived
across the street.
Eizember took the elderly couple hostage. A.J. Cantrell grabbed
his shotgun and fired at Eizember, but in the chaos his wife was
shot and killed. Eizember then beat Cantrell to death with the
gun.
After killing A. J. Cantrell, he shot his ex-girlfriends’
teenage son and beat her mother.
After days in hiding, Eizember forced a couple to drive him to
Texas, then beat the husband and tried to shoot the wife before
he was captured.
Prosecutors said the small town of Depew was “shaken to its
core” by the homicides.
Eizember, they said, had several opportunities to leave the
Cantrell home and spare their lives.
Oklahoma Assistant Attorney General Tessa Henry argued that
Eizember is a ruthless killer.
“A.J. and Patsy were brutally murdered in front of one another
and A.J. was forced to fight for his last breath, knowing that
his dead wife lay on top of him,” Henry said.
Debra Wyatt, daughter of the Cantrells, said Eizember should not
get a second chance because her parents didn’t get a second
chance.
“I have forgiven him, but forgiving him and still wanting him to
be punished, I still think that that needs to happen,” she said.
Eizember appeared before the parole board by video. He offered
no excuses while speaking for just under three minutes.
"I belong in prison," he said. "I've said that right from the
start. And I apologize profusely to all the victims."
Eizember’s defense team asked that he be allowed to remain in
prison, where they said he has been a model inmate.
The board’s decision means Gov. Kevin Stitt cannot change
Eizember’s death sentence to life in prison without the
possibility of parole. In Oklahoma, a governor can commute a
death row inmate's sentence only if the board recommends
clemency.
In 2015, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals split 2-1 to
uphold Eizember’s death sentence. One judge on a three-judge
panel said the death sentence should be overturned because a
juror should not have been allowed on the jury.
Current U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who served on
the appeals court at the time, voted to uphold the death
sentence.
In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Eizember’s final appeal
by declining to review, without comment, the appeals court
decision.
Eizember is being held at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in
McAlester.
His execution by lethal injection would be the eighth at the
Oklahoma State Penitentiary since 2021.
In November, the state executed Richard Fairchild, 63, for the
torture killing of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son in 1993.
8)
#Post#: 557--------------------------------------------------
Re: ~ Scott Eizember, 12Jan23, (OK) ~
By: BuzzC Date: January 10, 2023, 9:21 pm
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Scott Eizember scheduled for execution, Oklahoma denies minister
access to chamber--
Tuesday, January 10th, 2023
Convicted killer Scott Eizember, 62, is scheduled to be executed
by lethal injection Thursday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary
in McAlester.
The state recently denied a minister connected to Eizember
access to the chamber during his execution.
Eizember was sentenced to be executed for the bludgeoning death
of A.J. Cantrell, 76, and to 150 years in prison in the shotgun
slaying of Patsy Cantrell, 70, at their Depew home in 2003.
A daughter of the Cantrell's previously told The Oklahoman she
wanted to live long enough to see Eizember executed.
Eizember had broken into the Cantrells' home to watch and wait
for his ex-girlfriend to return to her mother's house across the
street.
He also was convicted of shooting with intent to kill his
ex-girlfriend’s 16-year-old son, and assault with a dangerous
weapon against his ex-girlfriend’s mother.
In 2015, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to
uphold Eizember’s death sentence.
Current Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who served on the
appeals court at the time, voted to uphold the death sentence.
In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Eizember’s final appeal
by declining to review, without comment, the appeals court
decision.
In December, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to
deny Eizember clemency.
"I belong in prison," Eizember said by video during the hearing.
"I've said that right from the start. And I apologize profusely
to all the victims."
The board’s decision meant Gov. Kevin Stitt could not change
Eizember’s death sentence to life in prison without the
possibility of parole. In Oklahoma, a governor can commute a
death row inmate's sentence only if the board recommends
clemency.
Eizember’s execution would be the eighth lethal injection at the
Oklahoma State Penitentiary since 2021.
In November, the state executed Richard Fairchild, 63, for the
torture and killing of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son in 1993.
Spiritual advisor denied access to execution chamber--
Eizember and his spiritual adviser, Arkansas-based the Rev. Dr.
Jeff Hood, planned to file a complaint in federal court after
they were told last week that Hood would not be allowed to be
present with Eizember in the execution chamber.
During a news conference Monday, Hood said the Oklahoma State
Department of Corrections denied him access and referred to him
as a “woke preacher.”
Hood said the gospel message is spiritually and socially
connected, and that he considered it an honor to be called a
"woke preacher."
Hood said the department denied him access to the execution
chamber because of his history of social activism.
“The Department of Corrections is the Department of
Corrections,” Hood said. “They are not the department of
theology. The Department of Corrections should not and cannot be
in the business of determining which religions and which
spiritualities are appropriate to the ministers of persons in
the chamber.”
In a statement, the agency said part of its role is “ensuring
the dignity of all involved” in the execution process.
"Out of respect for the families of victims, ODOC will not allow
the outbursts of activists to interfere, regardless of that
activist’s declared role in this process," the statement said.
"The spiritual advisor in this case has been arrested multiple
times for such outbursts in other states, demonstrating a
blatant disregard for the experiences of victims’ families and
the solemnity of the process."
Hood acknowledged his history of arrests in a written response
sent to media outlets.
"The Department of Corrections can slander me for three arrests
for peaceful protest and a national reputation as an activist
all they want. What they can't do is trample on the religious
liberty of their prisoners and the ministers who serve them.
Protest and protected speech against injustice doesn't make me
an enemy of the Department of Corrections. It makes me a
follower of Jesus."
If the complaint is filed, it's unclear whether it will bear any
impact on the timing of the execution in Oklahoma, however there
was a delay recently in Texas following a similar situation.
John Henry Ramirez initially was denied the presence of a
minister for his scheduled execution in Texas. His case was
argued in the U.S. Supreme Court about whether he had the right
to have a minister lay hands on him and pray before his
execution.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ramirez, saying Texas
violated his religious freedom by not allowing his pastor to be
present.
Ramirez was executed in October at the age of 38 in the presence
of his minister.
Eizember will be afforded access to Hood in the time leading up
to his execution, according to the Corrections Department. Hood
is allowed to witness the execution in another part of the
facility via a closed-circuit feed, officials said.
8)
#Post#: 558--------------------------------------------------
Re: ~ Scott Eizember, 12Jan23, (OK) ~
By: BuzzC Date: January 11, 2023, 10:14 pm
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Will Scott Eizember have a clergy member in the execution
chamber?
On Monday, Eizember and his spiritual advisor, Rev. Dr. Jeff
Hood, filed a complaint in federal court, asking that Hood be
allowed to be present with Eizember in the execution chamber.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections had denied Hood access to
the execution, citing Hood’s social activism and concern for the
“solemnity of the process.”
On Wednesday, DOC Director Steven Harpe announced the reversal
of the decision to deny Hood access.
#Post#: 559--------------------------------------------------
Re: ~ Scott Eizember, 12Jan23, (OK) ~
By: BuzzC Date: January 11, 2023, 10:20 pm
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Summary of Offense:
Joseph Prystash was convicted for the November 1994
murder-for-hire death of Farah Fratta, the 34-year-old wife of
former police officer Robert Fratta who was convicted of
masterminding her murder during a child custody battle.
Prosecutors said Prystash, with the promise of a Jeep as
renumeration for his part in the plot, arranged the details of
the murder and passed the murder weapon to triggerman Howard
Guidry. Guidry was paid $3,000 for murdering Mrs. Fratta.
Prystash was sentenced to death in Harris County in August 1996.
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#Post#: 560--------------------------------------------------
Re: ~ Scott Eizember, 12Jan23, (OK) ~
By: BuzzC Date: January 11, 2023, 10:22 pm
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Summary of Offense:
Howard Guidry was convicted as the triggerman in the November
1994 murder-for-hire of 34-year-old Farah Fratta, wife of former
police officer Robert Fratta who was convicted of masterminding
her murder and who was himself sentenced to death. Prosecutors
said Joseph Prystash, with the promise of a Jeep as renumeration
for his part in the plot, arranged the details of the murder and
passed the murder weapon to triggerman Guidry. Guidry was paid
$3,000 for murdering Mrs. Fratta. Mrs. Fratta was shot twice in
the head as she stepped from her car inside her garage. The
shooting occurred during the course of a custody battle between
the victim and her husband.
Guidry was re-sentenced to death in Harris County in March 2007.
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#Post#: 561--------------------------------------------------
Re: ~ Scott Eizember, 12Jan23, (OK) ~
By: BuzzC Date: January 11, 2023, 10:27 pm
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Farah Baquer Fratta, 34, Victim was shot twice in her head and
killed...
HTML https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/man-who-killed-elderly-couple-28935548
^^^Man who killed elderly couple after spying on ex's house to
be executed today...
8)
#Post#: 562--------------------------------------------------
Re: ~ Scott Eizember, 12Jan23, (OK) ~
By: BuzzC Date: January 12, 2023, 1:25 pm
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State of Oklahoma executes Eizember for 2003 murders--
Thursday, January 12th, 2023
McALESTER, Okla. — Family members of an elderly couple slain in
2003 said the execution of their killer ended a nearly 20-year
nightmare.
Oklahoma executed Scott Eizember, 61, at 10:15 a.m. Thursday for
the 2003 murders of Patsy Cantrell, 70, and her husband, A.J.
Cantrell, 76, in their Creek County residence.
Debra Cantrell Wyatt, the Cantrells' daughter, said the family
hopes for healing after suffering through her mother's death and
the murder of her sister, Linda, a few days before Eizember's
trial.
"It's been a journey — a long, painful journey," she said. "And
I don't believe in closure, I don't like people use that word to
me because the only way we would ever have closure is if they
ever came back to us and we know that's not going to happen on
this Earth."
Court records state Eizember broke into the couple’s home to
wait for an ex-girlfriend and the Cantrell's unexpectedly
returned home. Eizember beat the man unconscious, then dragged
the Cantrells' bodies and their dog, Candy, into a bathroom
where A.J. Cantrell died. Eizember then shot his ex-girlfriend’s
son and beat her mother at a nearby residence before a 37-day
manhunt ultimately led to his capture in Texas.
Sean Murphy, with the Associated Press, said officials read the
death warrant at 10 a.m. before Eizember gave his final
statement from the gurney.
"I told the truth, I cannot convince everyone I told the truth
obviously. The court also said I told the truth. So for those
people out there who don't seem to want to tell the truth,
that's on them. That's on their head. I'm at peace, my conscious
is clear completely. I love my children," he said.
Eizember's spiritual adviser, Dr. Rev. Jeff Hood, attended the
execution inside the death chamber after the Oklahoma Department
of Corrections initially barred him for his previous arrests for
protests.
They sued over the ban because it violated the death row
inmate's right to express freedom of religion before ODOC
Director Steven Harpe reversed the decision Wednesday.
Harpe said Thursday that Hood was allowed in the chamber after
he agreed to a code of conduct that barred him from saying or
doing anything that would disrupt security of the execution or
diminish respect for the witnesses.
"Everyone is and should be entitled to their own opinions on the
death penalty," Harpe said. "It's a very complex issue. But as
something affirmed by a vote of the people and carried out by an
order of the court, this agency must do what we can to protect
the dignity of the process."
Media witnesses said an additional security worker in the
execution chamber only focused on Hood throughout the process.
News On 6 anchor Lori Fullbright said Hood only spoke with
Eizember and recited from what looked like a Bible during the
execution protocol.
"For as much kicking it around as me and the director have had,
and some of those officials, he (Harpe) did come and shake my
hand and that was kind," Hood said after the execution.
Murphy said Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond was among
17 seated witnesses, including several dignitaries and five
media witnesses.
“It was my solemn duty this morning to be present for the
execution of Scott James Eizember, whose terrible crimes
shattered a loving family and sentenced them to a lifetime of
grief and loss,” Drummond said in a press release. “After nearly
20 years, justice is served. I understand that nothing can ever
lessen the pain of a loved one’s death, but I pray that today
brings closure and some measure of peace to the Cantrell
family."
Media witnesses said Eizember gave his final statement, then
conversed with Hood, mouthed "I love you" to a woman on the
other side of the execution chamber glass, and the execution
started.
Officials declared Eizember unconscious at 10:07 a.m., he
stopped breathing three minutes later, and he was declared dead
at 10:15 a.m.
Justin Wyatt, a grandson of the Cantrell's, said he didn't know
about calling the execution justice or closure for the family.
"But I believe this was the only way to end the nightmare my
family has endured all these years," Wyatt said. He said the
Cantrells' legacy can live on and he is glad their memory can be
detached from Eizember and thanked people for showing support
for the family throughout the years.
Johnny Melton, a nephew of the Cantrell's, said the family
believes the court process should not take 20 years and called
for national focus on improving mental health and preventing
domestic violence.
"It must stop," Melton said of domestic violence. "We are better
than this."
8)
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