Published: April 18, 2006
Man Executed for Grady County Triple Murder
McALESTER (AP) - A Grady County man was executed Tuesday for the murders of three men who were shot then left to die in a burning residence nearly 10 years ago.
Richard Alford Thornburg, Jr., 40, was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. after a lethal dose of drugs was administered at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
Thornburg was convicted of the Sept. 28, 1996, shooting deaths of James Donald Poteet, 51; Terry Lynn Shepard, 39; and Keith Alan Smith, 24. Two other men also were convicted of murder in the case.
The three killings occurred at Poteet's house in Alex, which was set on fire.
The defendants held a fourth man, Marvin Matheson, at gunpoint and forced him to shoot Donald Brent Scott, who survived his wounds, prosecutors said.
Thornburg didn't seek clemency and there were no last-minute attempts to stop the execution on Tuesday.
Thornburg's wife, children and other family members visited with the condemned man on Tuesday and planned to witness the execution, said Jerry Massie, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.
Source: Channel 9 News