Oklahoma man executed for breaking into elderly couple’s home and killing them

McALESTER, Okla. (TCD) -- A 62-year-old man was recently executed via lethal injection for fatally shooting a 70-year-old woman and bludgeoning her 76-year-old husband to death nearly 20 years ago.

In a statement, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Scott Eizember was executed on Jan. 12, remarking that "justice is served."

According to KOKH-TV, on Oct. 18, 2003, Eizember broke into the home of A.J. Cantrell and Patsy Cantrell in Depew, Oklahoma, after he saw them leave. He reportedly planned to wait in the home for his ex-girlfriend, Kathryn Smith, who allegedly lived across the street.

The elderly couple unexpectedly came home, and Eizember fatally shot Patsy Cantrell with a gun he found inside the home, KOKH reports. Then, he reportedly used the gun to bludgeon A.J. Cantrell to death.

After the fatal shooting and bludgeoning, Eizember went across the street to his ex-girlfriend’s home, attacked her, and shot her son in the back, The Associated Press reports. The two reportedly survived, and Eizember fled in a stolen car.

For more than a month, Eizember allegedly hid from the authorities in wooded areas around Depew and Bristow, and a search ensued.

According to The Associated Press, Eizember eventually went to Arkansas. There, he reportedly kidnapped a doctor and his wife at gunpoint and drove them to Texas. In Lufkin, Texas, the physician allegedly grabbed a gun from the van they were in and shot Eizember several times. Eizember was reportedly captured and taken into custody.

In December 2005, Eizember was convicted of kidnapping, carjacking, and using a firearm in a crime of violence, The Associated Press reports. He was reportedly sentenced to 25 years.

Eizember was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for bludgeoning A.J. Cantrell, and he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 150 years in prison for fatally shooting Patsy Cantrell, according to KOKH.

Eizember’s attorneys reportedly argued that the killings were unpremeditated.

The Associated Press reports that during the execution on Jan. 12, Eizember said, "I’m at peace," adding, "My conscience is clear, completely. I love my children."

Eizember’s daughter was reportedly present for the execution.

Executions resumed in the state of Oklahoma in 2021, and this has been the eighth one since.

MORE:

• Attorney General Drummond statement on Eizember execution — Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office
• Oklahoma executes Scott Eizember for the murder of elderly couple — KOKH
• Oklahoma executes man who killed elderly couple in 2003 — AP