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.
