McALESTER, Okla. — Oklahoma prepared to execute Timothy Stemple on Thursday for the killing of his wife, even as opposition mounted from groups that urged the governor to grant a stay so additional evidence in the case can be tested.
The 46-year-old Stemple is to receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. He was convicted of plotting with a relative of his mistress to kill 30-year-old Trisha Stemple and collect insurance money. She died Oct. 24, 1996, along U.S. Highway 75 in Tulsa. Prosecutors said she was beaten in the head with a bat and run over with a pickup truck.
Stemple's family has asked Gov. Mary Fallin to stay the execution so medical testimony disputing his accomplice's account of the crime can be heard in court. The Pardon and Parole Board last month denied Stemple's plea for clemency.
"This just needs to be tested thoroughly," said Stemple's brother-in-law John Smucker, who joined about a half-dozen death penalty opponents Thursday afternoon to deliver a petition with nearly 4,000 signatures to the governor's office. "We're just asking for a 30- or 60-day stay."
The New York-based Innocence Project also sent a letter to Fallin asking her to grant a stay so that additional DNA testing can be conducted. Smucker said the family maintains the bat was not used in the crime and that DNA testing could show that.
"Given the time to perform testing, evidence could be developed that would undermine Mr. Stemple's conviction," David Loftis, a managing attorney for the Innocence Project, wrote in the letter to Fallin. "It is impossible to satisfactorily answer questions of Mr. Stemple's innocence or guilt without the assistance of modern DNA testing techniques."
Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz said Thursday afternoon that the governor and her staff have reviewed the case thoroughly and she had no plans to issue a stay.
"We expect the execution to take place today," Weintz said.
Stemple requested a large stuffed crust pizza topped with half-pepperoni, half-Canadian bacon and extra cheese as his last meal, and orange soda as his drink.