Wendell Grissom

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Wendell Arden Grissom (October 11, 1968 – March 20, 2025) was an American man convicted and executed for the November 2005 murder of 23-year-old Amber Dawn Matthews (October 19, 1982 – November 3, 2005) during a home invasion in Watonga, Oklahoma. Grissom, along with accomplice Jessie Floyd Johns, broke into a home occupied by Matthews, her friend Dreu Kopf, and two children. Kopf was shot multiple times but survived, while Matthews was fatally shot at close range. Grissom was arrested days later, convicted of first-degree murder, and sentenced to death in 2008. During Wendell Grissom's trial, the prosecution highlighted the crime's severity, describing Amber Matthews' killing as intentional and unprovoked. The defense acknowledged Grissom's role, mentioning alcohol use and possible neurological issues as factors. The jury found Grissom guilty of first-degree murder and suggested a death sentence. His co-defendant, Jessie Floyd Johns, received life imprisonment without parole. After his...

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