Scott Eizember Executed – Oklahoma Ignores Clemency Petition of Dying Row Prisoner that Cites Vital Juvenile Trauma

By Ivan Villegas, Kimberly Torres, and Kaylee Pearlman

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Dying row prisoner Eizember was executed by the state of Oklahoma final Thursday, with the state ignoring his petition for clemency that argued he was now not a menace in jail and that his crimes have been impulsive, unplanned and determined.

The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Dying Penalty issued a press release charging Eizember’s execution “solely compounds the violence and tragedy of his life in addition to the victims’.”

Eizember’s petition goes into size about his upbringing and private background, to offer context to his crimes.

The petition notes Eizember was born in Michigan and raised solely by his father as a result of his mom, Devonia, had dedicated suicide when Eizember was solely 9 months previous. His father, Stanley, blamed him for her loss of life and the kid’s childhood was marked with repeated bouts of violence when his father would lash out and beat him.

Including to the trauma, the petition explains, that Eizember skilled rising up was the loss of life of his stepmother, Dorothy, who died of pure causes when Eizember was 15. Though Stanley continued to beat Eizember whereas he was with Dorothy, she had been a constructive presence in Eizember’s life.

The petition continues: Eizember left his residence on the age of 16. He was homeless for a time, however he quickly discovered shelter and a job. His first marriage resulted in a divorce due to his alcoholism. His second marriage resulted in two kids; nonetheless, after a declare of her infidelity his spouse left him, taking the 2 kids.

Eizember, the petition added, entered a 3rd relationship with a girl named Kathy in Oklahoma, and, very similar to his first two, it resulted in a separation between the 2 after he was charged with home disturbance and had a protecting order positioned in opposition to him. Eizember was positioned in custody and whereas he was in there, Kathy took all of his financial savings.

The petition claims Kathy organized for him to obtain sufficient cash to return to Michigan, however due to the protecting order, he couldn’t meet her. Despite this, Eizember tried to satisfy her at residence. Noticing she wasn’t residence, he waited at a relative of Kathy’s close by. Hungry and thirsty, Eizember entered the home seeing that nobody was residence.

As soon as the homeowners returned, Eizember stated he was determined and panicked, holding them at gunpoint with a gun he had discovered on the residence. In an try at self-defense, Eizember struggled to maintain management of the weapon and within the wrestle one of many homeowners was shot and killed, the petition learn.

The petition defined Eizember fled, heard the police had orders to shoot him on sight, and, determined, he continued to flee, stole a automobile and held the household driving hostage, however the police finally caught him and positioned him in custody, the place he had been up till his execution.

The clemency petition additionally famous that, throughout his time in jail, Eizember was battle free. His jail data point out that he had one of the best safety ranking of some other prisoner on Oklahoma’s loss of life row. Throughout his 20 years in jail, Eizember obtained a G.E.D. and acquired promotions and extra manageable positions in quite a few corporations.

Over the previous twenty years, Eizember spent his time in jail dwelling, as he referred to it, “the lifetime of the thoughts.” He spent his free time finding out numerous completely different languages and better arithmetic. Most of the legal professionals who’re conversant in Oklahoma’s loss of life row stated Eizember was the one inmate who had requested support in securing books in subjects reminiscent of physics and arithmetic.

Protection legal professionals stated Eizember stated if he have been to be saved from execution, that he would wish to assist the opposite inmates in studying the fundamentals of literacy and arithmetic. He had famous many of the males sentenced to loss of life row weren’t literate or numerate, and Eizember wished to offer again and assist them with fundamental tutoring.

Eizember’s legal professionals stated the previous twenty years dwelling in a miniature cell allowed Eizember to develop into much less selfish. He didn’t begrudge his punishment, and he admitted that his conduct was mistaken.

One in every of Eizember’s closest associates whereas he was in jail was his personal lawyer, Professor Randall T. Coyne, who wrote Eizember was vibrant, mental and pleasant. One other one in every of Eizember’s companions was a sports activities coach from when Eizember had volunteered earlier than his conduct. He defined Eizember was a very good affect locally.

His legal professionals stated whereas in jail, not solely did Eizember examine diligently on powerful ideas, however he additionally gained curiosity in spirituality. Eizember spent a whole lot of time with the Reverend Dr. Jeff Hood, who aided him in prayer and counseling.

Eizember claimed that the time he had spent with the reverend allowed him to simply accept the duty and legal responsibility of his actions, and he was grateful for it.

With the testimonials from Eizember’s closest associates in jail, the petition stated it’s noteworthy that relations Eizember had grown up with didn’t write in favor of Eizember. The clemency petition mentions that Eizember continued to be deserted by the individuals he continued to like, even behind jail partitions.

Eizember was given the loss of life penalty for 2 homicides he was convicted of within the state of Oklahoma. Eizember’s legal professionals appealed the fees in each state and federal courts, each of which denied the appeals.

The protection crew stated the consideration of clemency for Eizember was primarily based on his private development throughout his time in confinement…the clemency course of doesn’t deny the Courtroom’s ruling or information of the case however moderately makes an attempt a substitute for capital punishment.

The Eizember legal professionals argued Eizember was involuntarily assigned unlucky circumstances in the course of the first years of his life, insisting that his mom’s loss of life at a younger age alongside an abusive father who was left as the first caretaker is what led him down a path of violence.

They stated persistent abandonment points attributable to the loss of life of his mom, stepmother, and one in every of his closest associates solely furthered his insecurities. Throughout a wide range of interviews, Eizember would describe himself as a “throwaway man” illustrating his low shallowness and suggesting that Eizember’s impulsive acts have been resulting from desperation moderately than premeditation.