OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday set a Sept. 26 execution date for Oklahoma County killer Emmanuel Littlejohn.
In 1992, Littlejohn and Glenn Bethany robbed an Oklahoma City convenience store.
During the robbery, convenience store owner Kenneth Meers was shot in the face and killed.
Bethany is serving a life without parole sentence.
A clemency hearing before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is set for 9 a.m. Aug. 7 at 4345 N. Lincoln Blvd., in Oklahoma City.
If the panel recommends clemency, Gov. Kevin Stitt will make a final determination.
Littlejohn’s attorney, Callie Heller, said Littlejohn, 52, suffers from extensive brain damage, which affects his functioning.
She said his death sentence was unfair and excessive.
Littlejohn has said he didn’t kill Meers, according to the McAlester News-Capital.
“I would tell them (Meers’ family) I am sorry for the loss of their son,” Littlejohn told the paper in a story published in 2023. “I’m sorry for the part I played in it.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office did not respond to a request for comment before publication of this article.
The last Oklahoma inmate put to death was Richard N. Rojem, Jr., by lethal injection on Friday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.
Rojem was executed for the 1984 murder of Layla Dawn Cummings, 7, his former stepdaughter, who was stabbed.
He was denied clemency.
Republished in partnership with Oklahoma Voice under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Oklahoma Voice is a part of States Newsroom which is a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and Twitter.
Barbara Hoberock is a senior reporter with Oklahoma Voice. She has covered the statehouse since 1994 and served as Tulsa World Capitol Bureau chief. Hoberock covers statewide elected officials, the legislature, agencies, state issues, appellate courts and elections.