Oklahoma executes the longest-serving inmate on death row – a monster who raped and killed a seven-year-old girl

On Thursday, the longest-serving inmate on death row was executed in Oklahoma – a villain who kidnapped, raped and murdered his seven-year-old former stepdaughter in 1984.

Richard Rojem, 66, was pronounced dead at 10:16 a.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary after being given three lethal injections.

Rojem had protested his innocence in the murder of his former stepdaughter Layla Cummings, whose body was found mutilated and partially clothed on July 7, 1984.

When asked if he had any final words, Rojem replied: “None. I said goodbye.”

Rojem glanced briefly at several witnesses in the room next to the death chamber, including Layla’s mother, Mindy Cummings, before the drugs rendered him unconscious and the condemned man could no longer breathe five minutes later.

State Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the execution puts an end to the 40-year nightmare Layla’s family has endured since the child’s death.

“We remember her, honor her and carry her in our hearts forever as the sweet and precious seven-year-old she was,” Mindy Cummings said in a statement.

“Today marks the final chapter of justice decided by three different juries for the heinous acts of Richard Rojem nearly 40 years ago when he kidnapped her like the monster he was.”

Rojem, who was previously convicted of raping two teenagers in Michigan, allegedly became angry at Layla for reporting him for sexual abuse, prosecutors said.

Layla’s accusations led to her mother divorcing Rojem and him being sent back to prison for violating his probation.

The girl was subsequently abducted from her home and her body was later discovered with stab wounds in a field in rural Washita County. A jury found Rojem guilty of her death in 1985 after only 45 minutes of deliberation.

Rojem spent the rest of his life in prison and fought the sentence. At a pardon hearing earlier this month, his lawyers argued that DNA evidence taken from Layla’s fingernails did not link him to the crime.

“I did not kidnap Layla, I did not rape her and I did not murder her,” he told the Oklahoma Board of Pardons and Parole.

Prosecutors, however, said there was enough evidence to convict Rojem, including a condom wrapper found near the girl’s body and linked to a used condom discovered in Rojem’s bedroom.

Investigators also linked fingerprints found in Layla’s room to a cup from a bar that Rojem had left behind shortly before the girl’s kidnapping.

The Oklahoma panel ultimately voted unanimously not to recommend that the governor spare his life.

With post wires