By Daniella Espinoza
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Scott Eizember was denied a leniency appeal on a 3-2 vote against clemency last week at the Pardon & Parole Board, and he remains on death row and officially scheduled for execution Jan. 12, 2023.
According to Mark Henricksen, Scott Eizember’s attorney, the appeal for clemency was filed because Eizember’s crimes were not a pattern of his behavior.
Instead, the attorney argued Eizember has been a “model prisoner since he was incarcerated 19 years ago,” and deserves life in prison, not death.
While incarcerated, defense counsel argued, Eizember avoided trouble, studied high level mathematics and physics, and even taught himself five languages. Through clemency, he hoped “to spend the rest of his life helping to teach literacy and basic math skills to other [incarcerated individuals].”
Through a video meeting Eizember was able to appear at the hearing and apologize to the victims and their families.
In response to the Board’s decision, the chair of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Rev. Don Heath said, “Scott Eizember’s actions caused much pain and tragedy. He is 61 years old. He is no longer a threat to society.
“For the State to kill him only compounds the violence and tragedy. The Board again asked no questions of the parties and had no discussion before it voted. These votes are becoming pro forma. Pleas for mercy and forgiveness are futile.”
