OKLAHOMA CITY — The state of Oklahoma executed death row prisoner Raymond Eugene Johnson by lethal injection Thursday despite opposition from anti-death penalty advocates and his legal team.
Johnson, 52, was pronounced dead at 10:12 a.m. after being convicted in connection with the 2007 murders of Brooke Whitaker and her daughter, Kya.
According to the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Johnson was the second person executed in Oklahoma this year and the 18th execution carried out since the state resumed executions in October 2021 following a six-year moratorium.
Earlier this year, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 5-0 to deny clemency for Johnson.
Following the execution, Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty immediate past Chair Rev. Don Heath criticized the state’s decision, describing the execution as “needless.”
“Raymond Johnson lived a hard life, culminating in the tragic death of two people,” Heath stated. “He repented and found redemption on death row. The state has desecrated this beautiful spring day by executing a good man and calling it justice.”
Johnson’s federal public defender legal team also released a statement following the execution, emphasizing his personal growth and the relationships he developed while incarcerated.
“When asked to describe himself, Raymond said he was a father and a preacher,” the statement read. “He tirelessly worked at doing whatever he could to make the world a better place.”
The legal team also stated that Johnson accepted responsibility for his actions but did not allow “past mistakes to define him.” They described his death as a significant loss to his family, church community, friends and fellow incarcerated people.
The statement further condemned capital punishment, calling the death penalty “barbaric state-sponsored violence” and arguing that executions prolong suffering rather than provide closure.
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