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Oklahoma man to be executed for killing ex-girlfriend and her 7-month-old daughter
Raymond Johnson, 52, is scheduled for lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary for the 2007 deaths of his ex-girlfriend Brooke Whitaker and her 7-month-old daughter Kya after setting their Tulsa home on fire. A clemency hearing in April 2026 featured his apologies while Whitaker’s family urged that the execution proceed, and the Pardon and Parole Board denied clemency. The article notes a prior manslaughter conviction in 1996 and recent legal steps surrounding clemency.
Why It Matters
The case highlights long-standing debates over the death penalty, clemency, and the emotional impact on victims’ families in capital punishment disputes.
Timeline
7 Events
May 14, 2026: Attorney General statement
May 14, 2026
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond called Johnson a cruel murderer who inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering on his victims.
May 14, 2026: No last-minute Supreme Court appeal
May 14, 2026
Johnson's attorneys had not filed a last-minute appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to try to stop the execution; the attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
May 14, 2026: Execution scheduled
May 14, 2026
Johnson was scheduled to receive a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. If carried out, he would be the second person executed in Oklahoma this year and the 11th in the United States.
April 2026: Pardon and Parole Board denies clemency
April 2026
Oklahoma’s five-member Pardon and Parole Board voted unanimously to deny Johnson clemency.
April 2026: Johnson's clemency hearing
April 2026
At Johnson's clemency hearing, he apologized to the victims’ family and said he was remorseful. The article notes Whitaker’s family also spoke in favor of allowing the lethal injection to proceed.
June 2007: Murders of ex-girlfriend and infant daughter
June 2007
Raymond Johnson killed his ex-girlfriend Brooke Whitaker, 24, and her 7-month-old daughter Kya after an early-morning argument at Whitaker's Tulsa home. Prosecutors say he struck Whitaker with a metal claw hammer, then retrieved a gas can, doused the home with gasoline, lit a dishtowel, and left. Whitaker died from head injuries and smoke inhalation; Kya died from severe burns.
1996 manslaughter conviction
1996
Johnson had a 1996 conviction for manslaughter and served nine years of a 20-year prison sentence in that case.