Oklahoma Executes Man for 20-Year-Old Murder During Home Invasion and Robbery

McALESTER, Okla.—An Oklahoma man who took the life of a woman during a home invasion and robbery two decades ago expressed remorse to the victim’s family just before his execution on Thursday. A woman injured in the incident described the apology as genuine, but noted it came too late.

Wendell Grissom, 56, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester at 10:13 a.m., marking Oklahoma’s first execution of 2025.

“His death took 13 minutes, whereas he killed my best friend in just two,” stated Dreu Kopf, who was shot multiple times by Grissom but managed to escape the scene.

Grissom and his accomplice, Jessie Floyd Johns, were found guilty of murdering Amber Matthews, 23, and injuring Kopf at Kopf’s residence in Blaine County. Johns received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

“I’m truly sorry for all the pain I’ve caused,” Grissom, appearing bearded and dressed in a grey prison uniform, said while restrained on the gurney, with an IV line attached to his left arm. “I deeply regret the hatred I’ve instilled in your hearts.”

Grissom claimed he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol during the crime and pleaded with the victims’ family for forgiveness.

“I hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me,” he added. “Not for my own benefit, but for yours.”

A minister prayed at Grissom’s feet as the lethal substances began to take effect. He exhaled sharply several times and was observed snoring when a doctor entered the execution chamber and confirmed he was unconscious about five minutes later. He appeared to stop breathing at 10:09 a.m., and his complexion began to fade.

Over two dozen friends and family of Matthews witnessed Grissom’s execution.

This week, three additional executions were scheduled across the United States. Louisiana executed a man on Tuesday using nitrogen gas for the first time as it resumed executions after a 15-year pause. A man who kidnapped and killed his girlfriend’s ex-husband in Arizona was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday. On Thursday evening, a Florida man who murdered an 8-year-old girl and her grandmother was also executed.

Prosecutors detailed that Grissom, who had a lengthy criminal history, picked up Johns, who was hitchhiking, and they were driving west on Interstate 40 when they decided to burglarize homes. They randomly chose Kopf’s residence near Watonga, where Matthews was visiting Kopf and her two young daughters.

Matthews was shot twice in the head and left fighting for her life on the floor while Kopf, also shot twice and seriously injured, managed to escape in Grissom’s truck to seek help, according to prosecutors. Grissom and Johns fled on a stolen four-wheeler but quickly ran out of gas and were apprehended after getting a ride to a café in a nearby county.

Authorities discovered Kopf’s daughters still inside the home, unharmed. Matthews passed away after being transported by helicopter to an Oklahoma City hospital.

Kopf and her daughters, now 19 and 20, also witnessed Grissom’s execution.

Grissom’s defense team did not dispute his culpability but asserted during a clemency hearing that he suffered from brain damage that was never presented to a jury. The state’s Pardon and Parole Board rejected Grissom’s request for clemency.

His attorneys informed the board that he had always taken responsibility for his actions and wrote an apology to Matthews’ family during his initial interview with law enforcement.

“While he cannot alter the past, he has always felt deep shame and regret,” said Kristi Christopher, an attorney with the federal public defender’s office.

Christopher mentioned that Grissom’s legal team chose not to file a last-minute appeal, following his wishes.

Kopf told the board that she continues to bear deep mental and physical scars from the assault, including bullet fragments still lodged in her body. She expressed that since the attack, she has called 911 at the sound of the doorbell ringing unexpectedly or if a stranger appears in her neighborhood.

“I’ve lived in a constant state of fear,” she said tearfully.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond described Matthews’ murder as a “textbook” death penalty case.

“Grissom’s crimes, random and brutal attacks on innocent individuals in the sanctity of their own home, are the kinds of acts that keep people awake at night,” Drummond stated during a hearing last month.

Grissom’s execution marks the 128th carried out by the state of Oklahoma since the death penalty was reinstated in the U.S. in 1976, according to state prison records. It was the first since Kevin Underwood was executed in December.