**Oklahoma Executes Man Convicted of Kidnapping, Raping, and Killing 7-Year-Old Girl**
Oklahoma City, OK — On Thursday, Oklahoma executed Richard Rojem, a 66-year-old man convicted of the heinous crimes of kidnapping, raping, and killing his 7-year-old former stepdaughter, Layla Cummings, in 1984. Rojem received a three-drug lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was declared dead at 10:16 a.m.
Rojem, who had been on death row since 1985, was the longest-serving inmate awaiting execution in Oklahoma. When asked if he had any last words, Rojem, strapped to a gurney with an IV in his tattooed left arm, simply said, “I don’t. I’ve said my goodbyes.” He briefly looked toward several witnesses in a room adjacent to the death chamber before the sedative midazolam began to flow. He was declared unconscious at 10:08 a.m. and stopped breathing at 10:10 a.m. A spiritual adviser was present with him during the execution.
The case dates back to July 7, 1984, when Layla Cummings’ mutilated and partially clothed body was discovered in a field near Burns Flat, Oklahoma. She had been stabbed to death. Rojem, who had previously been convicted of raping two teenage girls in Michigan, was accused of killing Layla out of anger after she reported that he had sexually abused her. This report led to his divorce from Layla’s mother and his return to prison for violating parole.
During a clemency hearing earlier this month, Rojem denied responsibility for Layla’s death. “I wasn’t a good human being for the first part of my life, and I don’t deny that,” he said, appearing via video link from prison, handcuffed and wearing a red prison uniform. “But I went to prison. I learned my lesson and I left all that behind.” Despite his plea, the state’s Pardon and Parole Board unanimously denied his bid for mercy.
Rojem’s attorney, Jack Fisher, argued that DNA evidence taken from Layla’s fingernails did not link Rojem to the crime. “If my client’s DNA is not present, he should not be convicted,” Fisher stated. However, prosecutors maintained that there was ample evidence to convict Rojem, including a fingerprint found on a cup outside Layla’s apartment and a condom wrapper near her body that matched a used condom found in Rojem’s bedroom.
A Washita County jury convicted Rojem in 1985 after just 45 minutes of deliberation. His previous death sentences were twice overturned by appellate courts due to trial errors, but a Custer County jury ultimately handed him his third death sentence in 2007.
In a statement read by Attorney General Gentner Drummond after the execution, Layla’s mother, Mindy Lynn Cummings, expressed her enduring grief and relief at the conclusion of the legal process. “We remember, honor, and hold her forever in our hearts as the sweet and precious 7-year-old she was. Today marks the final chapter of justice determined by three separate juries for Richard Rojem’s heinous acts nearly 40 years ago when he stole her away like the monster he was.”
Drummond also commented on the execution, stating, “Justice for Layla Cummings was finally served this morning with the execution of the monster responsible for her rape and murder. Layla’s family has endured unimaginable suffering for almost 40 years. My prayer is that today’s action brings a sense of comfort to those who loved her.”
Rojem’s last meal, served on Wednesday evening, included a small Little Caesars pizza with double cheese and double pepperoni, a ginger ale, and two vanilla ice cream cups.
Oklahoma has executed more inmates per capita than any other state since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The state resumed lethal injections in October 2021 after a nearly six-year hiatus due to problems with executions in 2014 and 2015. Rojem’s execution marks the 13th since the resumption.
Death penalty opponents planned vigils outside the governor’s mansion in Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester on the day of the execution.
Source: AP, CBS, Reuters
