TULSA, Okla. — Raymond Johnson is scheduled to be executed Thursday after the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board unanimously rejected his request for clemency for the 2007 murders of his ex-girlfriend and her infant daughter.
Police say in 2007 Johnson beat Brooke Whittaker with a hammer and set her house on fire. Whittaker and her 7-month-old daughter, Kaya, were both inside.
At a recent hearing, Johnson's lawyers argued he is a changed man, citing a bipolar disorder diagnosis and his work mentoring other inmates. But prosecutors showed he made those same claims before committing the murders.
Whittaker's family asked the board to deny clemency.
Amy Pennington, Brooke Whittaker's sister, said:
"We've been waiting for nearly 20 years for justice to be served, carrying this loss with us every day. We've done our part, endured this, grieved, remembered, so we just want this chapter to be closed today."
Johnson apologized to the family, but the family says they still remember Johnson smiling at them in the courtroom during his confession.
The family says justice won't be truly served until Johnson pays with his life. His execution is scheduled for 10 a.m.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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