American executed in Oklahoma despite appeal for clemency

A 50-year-old American was executed Thursday (August 25) in Oklahoma for killing a man with a hammer in 1997 after the governor denied his request for a pardon, state prison officials said.

James Coddington received a lethal injection at McAlester prison.

He was pronounced dead at 10:16 a.m. local time (3:16 p.m. GMT), Oklahoma Corrections Director Scott Crow said, adding that the proceedings were "

".

Oklahoma, a rural and conservative southern state, resumed executions in October 2021, after a six-year hiatus due to failed executions.

This state is the one that executed the highest number of prisoners in 2022, with three executions.

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James Coddington had been sentenced to death for killing his friend Albert Hale, 73, with a hammer in 1997. The victim had refused to give him money to buy drugs.

The state Pardons and Parole Board had recommended clemency for James Coddington, but Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt denied his request on Wednesday.

Ten prisoners have been executed in the United States since the beginning of the year, the majority in southern states, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC).