Oklahoma carried out the execution of a man convicted of murdering his former girlfriend and her infant daughter almost two decades ago.
Raymond Johnson, aged 52, was declared dead at 10:12 a.m. on Thursday after receiving a lethal injection consisting of three drugs at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, as reported by prison authorities. Johnson had been sentenced to death for the killings of 24-year-old Brooke Whitaker and her 7-month-old daughter, Kya, in June 2007.
Expressing remorse, Johnson addressed Whitaker, Kya, and their family while lying on a gurney in the death chamber. He sought forgiveness for the pain he caused and hoped that their names would be remembered independently of his own. A spiritual advisor, Kurt Borgmann, read scriptures during the execution, which lasted approximately 11 minutes. Johnson shed a tear as Borgmann began speaking, and a doctor confirmed his unconscious state about six minutes into the procedure.
Following delays that pushed the originally scheduled execution date to May 2024, Angie Short, Whitaker’s aunt, expressed frustration, mentioning that Whitaker’s mother passed away five months after the planned execution date.
Prosecutors recounted that Johnson and Whitaker had a dispute at her residence in Tulsa, where Johnson viciously attacked her with a metal claw hammer, resulting in severe injuries. Despite Whitaker’s pleas for help and mercy, Johnson proceeded to set the house on fire, leading to Whitaker’s death from head injuries and smoke inhalation and the infant’s demise from severe burns.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond conveyed hopes for peace and closure for Whitaker’s and Kya’s families after enduring nearly two decades of suffering. Johnson’s unsuccessful legal appeals argued against his arrest legality, coerced confession, and his trial lawyer’s actions without consent, while his clemency plea was unanimously denied by the Pardon and Parole Board in April.
Whitaker’s family supported the execution, with Logan Kleck, Whitaker’s eldest daughter, expressing that while it wouldn’t bring back her loved ones or erase years of pain, it would prevent further harm from Johnson. Johnson, who also previously served time for manslaughter, became the second person executed in Oklahoma and the 11th in the U.S. this year.