McAlester, Oklahoma – Convicted child murderer Richard Norman Rojem Jr. was executed on Thursday after nearly 40 years of waiting. Despite the opportunity, Rojem chose to remain silent, offering no final declaration of innocence or expressions of remorse. At 10:03 a.m., the execution process began, and by 10:16 a.m., he was pronounced dead from lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
Rojem, who was 66 at the time of his execution, was put to death for the 1984 murder of his former stepdaughter, 7-year-old Layla Dawn Cummings. The execution marked the end of a long legal journey for Rojem, who had successfully challenged his punishment twice before being resentenced in 2003 and 2007. It was not until 2017 that he exhausted his appeals, leading to his final moments on death row.
The victim’s mother, Mindy Cummings, witnessed Rojem’s execution and expressed gratitude for the justice served, stating that Rojem can no longer harm anyone. Rojem’s death marked the 13th execution in Oklahoma since the state resumed capital punishment in October 2021 after a hiatus of more than six years due to procedural issues.
While Rojem maintained his innocence until the end, stating he did not kidnap, rape, or murder Layla, the evidence presented during his trial painted a different picture. Layla was abducted from her Elk City apartment in 1984 and found raped and stabbed in a field the following day. Rojem, who had ties to the victim’s family, had been seeking a reconciliation with Mindy Cummings before the tragic events unfolded.
Despite the lack of any visible complications during Rojem’s execution, his spiritual adviser, Reverend Master Daishin Yalon, accompanied him in the death chamber. Rojem, who had converted to Zen Buddhism in prison, received spiritual guidance before succumbing to the lethal injection. His last meal consisted of pizza, ice cream, and ginger ale, a final earthly indulgence before his ultimate fate.