Court upholds Oklahoma man's death sentence
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of an Oklahoma man convicted in the fatal shooting of his lover's estranged husband.
The court on Monday rejected without comment the appeal of James Pavatt, 67.
Pavatt and Brenda Andrew were convicted separately and each sentenced to death for the fatal shooting in November 2001 of advertising executive Rob Andrew in the garage of the home he had previously shared with Brenda Andrew after Rob Andrew had gone to the home to pick up their two children for the Thanksgiving weekend.
A three-judge federal appeals court panel in 2017 overturned Pavatt's death sentence, but the full 13-member court reinstated it on appeal last June. Pavatt's attorney declined comment Wednesday.
The Supreme Court in 2018 turned away the appeal of Brenda Andrew, who is the only woman on Oklahoma's death row.
Oklahoma has not carried out an execution since January 2015 after a series of bungled executions and drug mix-ups.
Democratic state Rep. Jason Dunnington filed a bill earlier this month that would eliminate the death sentence in Oklahoma beginning on Nov. 1, although it would not apply retroactively to inmates already on death row.
Published: Fri, Jan 31, 2020
