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Officials reported that on Thursday, a man was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Alabama conducted an execution using nitrogen gas, marking the second time this controversial method has been employed in the United States.
These two executions have increased the total for 2023 to 18 in the United States, with five of those executions taking place in the last week alone, highlighting a notable surge in capital punishment activity.
Emmanuel Littlejohn, 52, faced execution by lethal injection in Oklahoma for the murder of Kenneth Meers, who was 31 at the time of his death during a convenience store robbery in 1992.
Although Emmanuel Littlejohn acknowledged his presence at the scene, he has consistently denied being the individual who fired the fatal shot that killed Meers.
Each man attempted to distance himself from the crime, as both Littlejohn and Glenn Bethany placed the blame for the murder squarely on one another.
The two men were convicted of murder but Bethany received life imprisonment, whereas Littlejohn was sentenced to death.
Read also: Stay Of Execution: Kanu Drags FG To Supreme Court
Despite objections from some family members of the victim, the State Board of Pardons recommended a commutation of Littlejohn’s sentence in August.
In a Wednesday interview with NPR, Littlejohn appealed directly to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, urging him to take action and intervene in the matter.
“Governor, don’t kill me for the heck of it,” Littlejohn said.
Stitt, a Republican who had exercised his clemency powers on only one occasion, ultimately chose to deny the appeal made by Littlejohn.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond commented on Thursday that “justice has been served for the murder of Kenny Meers,” stressing the judicial system’s role in addressing this crime.
