Oklahoma Executes James Pavatt, 73, for the 2001 Murder of Rob Andrew

James Dwight Pavatt, 73, was pronounced dead at 10:12 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. He was put to death by lethal injection for the 2001 shotgun killing of Rob Andrew, after he lost his request for a stay at the U.S. Supreme Court, The Oklahoman reported. His execution was the 21st in Oklahoma since executions resumed five years ago after a lengthy hiatus.

The 2001 killing

Rob Andrew, an Oklahoma City advertising executive, was shot on Nov. 20, 2001, in the garage of his home. He had come to pick up his 7 year old son and his 10 year old daughter for Thanksgiving when he was shot, The Oklahoman reported. Prosecutors alleged that Pavatt and Brenda Andrew conspired to kill Rob Andrew in hopes of cashing in on an 800,000 dollar life insurance policy. Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Pavatt and Brenda Andrew worked together to murder Andrew, who was once Pavatt's friend, according to News 9.

What Pavatt said, and who he was

Pavatt maintained his innocence. He was a former U.S. Air Force master sergeant and a former Sunday school teacher, The Oklahoman reported. That record, and his claim of innocence, stood against the conviction that sent him to death row for the 2001 killing. The Supreme Court did not grant the stay he sought, and the execution went ahead on Thursday morning at McAlester. Officials pronounced him dead at 10:12 a.m., at the penitentiary where the state carried out the sentence.

Clemency refused

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3 to 2 against recommending clemency for Pavatt on Oct. 14, 2026, News 9 reported. That vote closed the clemency route a month before the execution date. With clemency refused and the Supreme Court stay request lost, no legal step reported in the coverage of the case stood between Pavatt and the Thursday execution.

Brenda Andrew remains on death row

Brenda Andrew, 62, is the only woman on death row in Oklahoma. She is still appealing her murder conviction and her death sentence, The Oklahoman reported. Her case continues while Pavatt's ended on Thursday. The two were accused together in the prosecution account of the killing, and the state has now carried out Pavatt's sentence while her appeals remain open.

Pavatt's execution was the first of two executions scheduled in the United States on Nov. 12. Texas inmate John Allen Rubio was scheduled for lethal injection on Thursday evening. At the time the Oklahoma coverage was published, that Texas execution had not happened, and it is reported here as scheduled only.