McALESTER, Okla. -- Oklahoma executed a man Thursday who was convicted of killing an elderly couple and committing other crimes almost 20 years ago before authorities caught up to him in Texas after a manhunt.
Scott James Eizember, 62, received a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was pronounced dead at 10:15 a.m.
"I'm at peace," Eizember said, strapped to a gurney with an intravenous line in his left arm. "My conscience is clear, completely. I love my children."
Eizember's attorneys did not deny he killed A.J. Cantrell, 76, and his wife, Patsy Cantrell, 70, on Oct. 18, 2003. But they told the state's parole board last month that the killings were unplanned and his life still had value.
Prosecutors allege Eizember broke into the Cantrells' home in Depew, Okla., after he saw them leave so he could lie in wait for his ex-girlfriend, Kathryn Smith, who lived across the street. When the couple came home unexpectedly, prosecutors say Eizember shot and killed Patsy Cantrell with a shotgun he found inside the home and then bludgeoned A.J. Cantrell to death with the weapon.
Eizember was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for killing A.J. Cantrell and convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 150 years in prison for killing Patsy Cantrell.
Eizember eventually made his way to Arkansas in a stolen car and kidnapped a physician and his wife at gunpoint, prosecutors said. After driving with the couple to Texas, he finally was captured near Lufkin.
A federal jury in Arkansas convicted Eizember in December 2005 on two counts of kidnapping and one count each of carjacking and using a firearm in a crime of violence. He was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison in that case.
The Rev. Jeffrey Hood, of Arkansas, speaks to the media before protestors deliver petitions against the death penalty to the office of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has reversed its position and now says it will allow Hood, an anti-death penalty minister, inside the execution chamber for the upcoming execution of Scott Eizember. Eizember was convicted of killing A.J. Cantrell, 76, and his wife, Patsy Cantrell, 70, in 2003. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Former Oklahoma State Sen. Connie Johnson address the media before protestors deliver petitions against the death penalty to the office of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has reversed its position and now says it will allow The Rev. Jeffrey Hood, an anti-death penalty minister, inside the execution chamber for the upcoming execution of Scott Eizember. Eizember was convicted of killing A.J. Cantrell, 76, and his wife, Patsy Cantrell, 70, in 2003.(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The Rev. Jeffrey Hood, of Arkansas, speaks to the media before protestors deliver petitions against the death penalty to the office of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has reversed its position and now says it will allow Hood, an anti-death penalty minister, inside the execution chamber for the upcoming execution of Scott Eizember. Eizember was convicted of killing A.J. Cantrell, 76, and his wife, Patsy Cantrell, 70, in 2003. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Death penalty opponents protest on the street outside the Governor's mansion, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma executed a Scott James Eizember, 62, who was convicted of killing an elderly couple and committing other crimes 20 years ago before authorities caught up to him in Texas after a manhunt. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Death penalty opponents protest on the street outside the Governor's mansion, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma executed a Scott James Eizember, 62, who was convicted of killing an elderly couple and committing other crimes 20 years ago before authorities caught up to him in Texas after a manhunt. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The Rev. Don Heath, center, says a prayer following a protest on the street outside the Governor's mansion, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City, after Oklahoma executed a Scott James Eizember, 62, who was convicted of killing an elderly couple and committing other crimes 20 years ago before authorities caught up to him in Texas after a manhunt. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
FILE - This Feb. 2, 2018, photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows Scott Eizember. On Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, Oklahoma plans to execute Eizember, who was convicted of killing an elderly couple and committing other crimes 20 years ago before authorities caught up to him in Texas more than a month later. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP, File)
Johnny Melton, the nephew of slain couple A.J. And Patsy Cantrell, delivers a statement on behalf of the Cantrell family on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Okla., after witnessing the execution of Scott Eizember. (AP Photo/Sean Murphy)