Oklahoma to execute convicted murderer Scott James Eizember after losing clemency

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Oklahoma plans to move forward with the execution of a man convicted of murdering an elderly couple Thursday after a parole board voted against granting him clemency.

Scott James Eizember, 62, is scheduled for lethal injection. He was convicted of the murders of A.J. Cantrell, 76, and Patsy Cantrell, 70, which he committed in 2003. His attorneys do not contest Eizember's guilt but argue that his life still has worth, The Associated Press reported.

"I make no excuses. I belong in prison," Eizember told the parole board in December. "I’ve said that right from the start, and I apologize profusely to all the victims and when I say all, I mean the entire Creek County community."

"He has felt remorse every day of his imprisonment. There is no reason to kill him next month other than revenge," attorney Mark Henricksen said at the time.

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This Feb. 2, 2018, photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows Scott Eizember.  On Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, Oklahoma plans to execute Eizember, who was convicted of killing an elderly couple and committing other crimes 20 years ago, before authorities caught up to him in Texas more than a month later. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP, File)

Prosecutors say Eizember broke into the Cantrells' home in order to more easily stalk his ex-girlfriend, who lived across the street. They allege Eizember waited for the couple to leave the home before entering, and that he murdered them when they came home unexpectedly.

Prosecutors say he shot Patsy with a shotgun and then used the weapon to beat A.J. to death, though defense attorneys argued that Patsy was shot while A.J. and Eizember struggled over the gun, the AP reported.

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Immediately after the killings, prosecutors said, Eizember entered the home of his ex-girlfriend, Kathryn Smith, and shot her son in the back and attacked Smith's mother. Both survived the encounter, and Eizember fled the scene, according to the AP.

This photo shows the gurney in the execution chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Okla. ((AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File))

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Eizember wasn't caught until months later. Authorities said he was attempting to travel to Arkansas by holding another couple at gunpoint and forcing them the drive him there. The husband was able to recover a pistol he had hidden inside his vehicle and shot Eizember four times before calling the police.