An Oklahoma man, Richard Rojem Jr., convicted of the 1984 rape and murder of his former stepdaughter, was executed on Thursday morning at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Rojem, 66, was served a final meal of two small double-cheese, double-pepperoni pizzas from Little Caesars, two cups of vanilla ice cream, and a bottle of Vernors ginger ale.
Rojem, who had been in prison since 1985, was the longest-serving inmate on Oklahoma's death row. He had denied responsibility for the murder of Layla Cummings, his former stepdaughter, whose mutilated body was found in rural Washita County in 1984. Prosecutors argued that Rojem was angry at Cummings for reporting his sexual abuse, which led to his divorce from her mother and his return to prison for violating parole.
Despite Rojem's claims of innocence, evidence presented at trial included a fingerprint outside the victim's apartment, a condom wrapper near the body linked to Rojem's bedroom, and his criminal history of rape. Rojem was convicted by a Washita County jury in 1985 and received his third death sentence in 2007 after previous sentences were overturned due to trial errors.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond stated that justice was served with Rojem's execution, bringing closure to Layla's family after nearly 40 years of suffering. Rojem, who became a Zen Buddhist in prison, expressed remorse at a parole board hearing, acknowledging his past actions and claiming to have changed during his incarceration.
With Rojem's execution, the state of Oklahoma marked its 13th execution since resuming capital punishment in 2021. The case of Richard Rojem Jr. serves as a reminder of the enduring impact of violent crimes on victims' families and the pursuit of justice through the legal system.
