McAllister, Okla. ( Associated Press) – Oklahoma executed a man Thursday who was convicted of killing an elderly couple 20 years ago and committing other crimes after authorities caught him following a manhunt in Texas.
Scott James Azember, 62, received a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAllister and was pronounced dead at 10:15 a.m.
“I’m at peace,” said Izember, strapped to a gurney with an IV in his left arm. “My conscience is absolutely clear. I love my kids.”
Once the lethal drugs began to flow, the little-bearded Ezember could be seen conversing with his spiritual mentor, the Rev. Jeffrey Hood, who was inside the execution chamber with him. He raised his head at one point and said “I love you” as he addressed his daughter and the lawyers, who were among the 17 people seated in the witness room.
Izember developed shortness of breath and was sedated at 10:07 am. He stopped breathing at 10:10 and was pronounced dead five minutes later.
Azember’s attorneys did not deny that he killed AJ Cantrell, 76, and his wife, Patsy Cantrell, 70, on October 18, 2003. Life still had value.
The board rejected the leniency recommendation in a 3-2 vote.
He has felt remorse every day of his imprisonment. There’s no reason to kill him next month other than revenge,” attorney Mark Henriksen told the board.
Following the execution, several members of the Cantrell family spoke of the pain the family has endured and expressed concern over how long it had taken for Izember to be hanged.
Johnny Melton, the slain couple’s nephew, said in a statement read on behalf of the family, “Having lived through this nightmare, I must say that 20 years is too long for justice.”
