Oken Finally Executed for Three Murders

Maryland's execution chamber

By Kenneth C. Rossignol
ST. MARY'S TODAY

BALTIMORE --- Death by lethal injection came on Thursday night at about 9:18 pm, just as a series of severe storms were ripping across Maryland, taking with them the life of a triple murderer who had spent 16 years pursuing his legal rights in his effort to escape the final penalty for his gruesome crimes.

Steven Oken's death came after a last minute series of appeals and rulings were reversed on Wednesday, removing the last obstickle for his execution.

On Thursday Oken's attorneys tried one final argument, that that executioners might have to cut deeply into his flesh to administer the lethal drugs, but lower courts and the Supreme Court quickly rejected that appeal.

Events Leading Up To The Execution

Earlier Thursday Gov. Robert Ehrlich denied a request to spare the life of three-time murderer Steven Oken, while Lt. Gov. Mike Steele, who had earlier called for an end to the death penalty, fell suddenly silent on the issue in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court refused again Thursday evening to block Oken's execution.

Attorneys for Oken even tried a last minute arguement that his original attorney had not attempted to uncover a possibility that Oken had been a bastard child of incest, as if that would have anything to do with his exercise of free will in the wanton murder of his three victims.

The State called the arguement "beyond belief" and pointed out that Oken was from a stable family, had his own family, was educated, married and had a home of his own.

"To now attribute his criminal acts to a disadvantaged background is preposterous," the state said.

The Oken execution is the first since 1998.

In 1994, John Thanos, was the first to be cranked up by lethal injection after a long pause in administration of the death penalty when was sentenced to die by St. Mary's Circuit Court Judge Marvin Kaminetz after his trial was moved to St.   Mary's due to pre-trial publicity in the Baltimore area. 

Thanos had brutally murdered a teen age couple on the Eastern Shore and had publicly warned he would do it again if he weren't put to death.   Lawyers who attempted to prevent his death were rejected by him.

A special squad of St. Mary's deputies were in the courtroom to make sure he did not overpower his nearby escorts and escape.

Thanos later sent a letter to Judge Kaminetz thanking him for his death sentence and giving him comfort in knowing that he would be released from his earthly sentence and finally be 'free'.