Oklahoma executes Wendell Grissom for 2005 murder

Wendell Grissom, 56, was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on March 20, 2025, for the 2005 murder of Amber Matthews during a home invasion. Grissom and his co-defendant, Jessie Floyd Johns, were convicted of killing Matthews and injuring her friend, Dreu Kopf, who managed to escape and seek help. The execution marked Oklahoma's first of the year and followed a clemency request that was denied despite arguments regarding Grissom's brain damage, which his attorneys claimed was not presented during the trial. Grissom's lengthy criminal history influenced his sentencing, and he was captured shortly after the crime while attempting to flee. This execution coincides with several others across the U.S., including the first use of nitrogen gas in Louisiana after a 15-year hiatus. The incident left Kopf with lasting physical and emotional scars, as she recounted the impact of the crime nearly two decades later.