TULSA, Okla. — In a 5-0 unanimous vote, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board denied clemency for Oklahoma death row inmate, Raymond Johnson.
During the April 8 hearing, Johnson’s attorney argued that he is a changed man, but representatives for the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office said history proves otherwise.
In 2007, shortly after serving 10 years in prison for manslaughter, Johnson beat Brooke Whitaker with a hammer inside her home. Whitaker was his ex-girlfriend and the mother of four, three of whom were not at home at the time.
Whitaker’s infant daughter, Kya, was inside the house.
After beating Whitaker, Johnson set the home on fire. She and her daughter both died.
At the clemency hearing, Johnson’s attorney argued he is a remorseful man of God who suffers from bipolar disorder, but now mentors inmates while being a model prisoner.
They showed supportive clips of his son, daughter, and pastor.
“If you kill Raymond now, you’re killing a completely different person than who he was,” said David Sollenberger, pastor at Church of the Brethren, based in Indiana.
Attorneys from the AG’s office showed video of Johnson’s first prison stint, prior to the double murder. The video shows Johnson at a pulpit in prison, giving a sermon. They argue he also mentored inmates then and claimed to have changed, before going on and committing murder.
They also showed a detective interview in which Johnson boasted of having lived a long life as a swindler. “I’m a con artist, I’m really good at it,” he said in the video. “Since I was in middle school.”
The victims’ family, including Brooke’s grandmother, aunts, and now-grown daughters, were there to issue statements. Brooke’s daughters had their aunts read their statements because they were too overcome with emotion.
Repeatedly, the family told the board that they were tired of reliving the worst day of their lives and wanted the legal wrangling to be over.
“We’ve been waiting nearly 20 years for justice to be served,” said Amy Pennington, Brooke’s sister. “Carrying this loss with us every day, we’ve done our part, endured, remembered, grieved. We just want this chapter closed.”
Johnson also had the opportunity to speak. He apologized for his actions and continued to explain the positive strides he was making in prison.
Minutes later, the board denied clemency. Johnson’s execution is scheduled for May 14.
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