The State of Oklahoma has carried out the execution of 56-year-old Wendell Arden Grissom, who was convicted of the 2005 murder of 23-year-old Amber Dawn Matthews during a violent home invasion in Blaine County. Grissom was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 10:13 a.m. on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.
In November 2005, Grissom and Jessie Floyd Johns, a hitchhiker Grissom had picked up earlier that evening, randomly selected the rural home of Dreu Kopf, located northwest of Oklahoma City. Grissom and Johns broke in with the intent to rob the home. During the invasion, Amber Matthews—who was visiting Kopf and helping care for her two young daughters—was shot while shielding one of the children. Kopf was also shot multiple times but managed to escape and run to a neighbor’s home to call for help. Both of Kopf’s children were physically unharmed.
Amber Matthews died from her injuries, while Kopf survived after extensive treatment. The brutal crime shocked the Blaine County community and led to capital charges against both suspects. Grissom was sentenced to death in 2007, while Johns received a life sentence without parole for his role in the crime.
Ahead of his execution, Grissom delivered a final statement in which he apologized for his actions. He expressed remorse and asked for forgiveness. “I am truly sorry for the pain I’ve caused,” he said. Dreu Kopf, who attended the execution, responded to his apology with mixed emotions. While she believes it was sincere, she noted that it came too late and would never undo the trauma or bring her best friend back. “He’s controlled my life for the past 20 years,” Kopf said in a press interview. “That apology won’t change that.”
Grissom’s legal team made a last-minute effort to stop the execution, arguing that he suffered from brain damage and should not be put to death. They submitted appeals and requests for clemency, which were denied by both the courts and the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. The board voted 4-1 against clemency earlier this month, citing the brutal nature of the crime and the lasting trauma inflicted on the victims.
This execution is Oklahoma’s first of 2025 and the state’s 128th since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. It comes amid a renewed national conversation about capital punishment, including concerns about fairness, mental health, and the length of time inmates spend on death row.
Wendell Grissom’s death concludes a nearly two-decade-long legal process marked by grief, advocacy, and resilience from the families of both the victims and the convicted.
Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/8dc3a6b8e0fc412dbb4d610e15020dc0
https://apnews.com/article/b989bbefbe0157f6010396ad02022da2
https://apnews.com/article/8c283fdd5867a64900d19f590e7a0425
https://youtu.be/47ac_sGtQU4
https://youtu.be/cgeOpQjc2d0
