Court Upholds Death Sentence Of Man Who Killed Kingfisher Woman

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the death sentence of a man convicted of first-degree murder for the 2005 shooting death of a 23-year-old woman in Blaine County.

The court handed down its unanimous ruling Friday in the case of Wendell Arden Grissom. The 42-year-old Grissom was sentenced to die by lethal injection for the Nov. 3, 2005, shooting death of Amber Matthews of Kingfisher.

Grissom conceded during his trial that he shot the woman twice in the head at the Watonga home of Matthews' friend, Lauren Dreu Kopf. The shooting happened after Grissom and co-defendant Jessie Floyd Johns forced their way in and attempted to rob them. Kopf was shot several times but survived.

Johns was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

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• Jury sentences man to life sentence