Wendell Grissom was the first Oklahoman to receive the death penalty in 2025. Grissom died by lethal injection Thursday morning at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. He was pronounced dead at 10:13 a.m., according to media witnesses.
Grissom, 56, had been on Oklahoma’s death row since he was charged with murder in 2008. At trial, he was convicted of first-degree murder, shooting with intent to kill, grand larceny and possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.
During a random home invasion in Blaine County, Grissom entered Dreu Kopf’s home, injuring her and killing her friend, Amber Matthews, who was there helping take care of Kopf’s two young children. Grissom fatally shot Matthews and fired at and hit Kopf multiple times.
Kopf said she begged Grissom to take what he wanted and leave, according to court documents.
Grissom’s accomplice, a hitchhiker named Jessie Floyd Johns, now 74, is serving life in prison without parole.
Grissom’s fate was solidified in February, when the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board denied his plea for clemency in a 4-1 vote. Attorney General Gentner Drummond urged the board to deny clemency before its decision.
Following Grissom’s execution, Drummond lauded the state’s actions.
“The execution of this sentence affirms our commitment to holding accountable those who commit the most heinous crimes against our citizens,” he said. “While nothing can bring Amber back, I hope this final chapter brings some measure of peace to those who have waited so long for justice to prevail.”
During his clemency hearing, Grissom’s lawyers argued he should not be eligible for the death penalty because of significant developmental issues. Attorneys showed the five-member board detailed reports on abnormalities in Grissom’s brain, as revealed by CT and MRI scans.
They also told the board Grissom had accepted responsibility for his crime and expressed remorse for Matthews’ killing.
Grissom chose not to speak before the board during his clemency consideration. Kopf shared an emotional testimony detailing the mental and physical harm the attack caused on her and her family.
Reporters for The Associated Press, The Oklahoman, the Watonga Republican, a McAlester radio station and a Tulsa television station observed the execution.
Death penalty opponents gathered outside the governor's mansion in Oklahoma City to hold a vigil for Grissom. Rev. Don Heath, chair of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP) said executions are becoming “too routine.”
“Wendell Grissom faced his death bravely. He repeatedly expressed his remorse and made peace with his execution,” Heath said.
In 2024, Oklahoma executed four people — only Texas and Alabama put more to death. Last year’s executions included Michael Dewayne Smith, Richard Norman Rojem Jr., Emmanuel Antonio Littlejohn and Kevin Ray Underwood.
Next on Oklahoma’s death row is George John Hanson, who was recently transferred from a federal prison to the state to be executed. Hanson kidnapped and fatally shot a 77-year-old woman in 1999. His execution is expected to be scheduled for June.
