Tulsa Killer Executed For Quadruple Slaying

Tuesday, January 9th 2007, 5:59 am

By: News On 6

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) Convicted killer Corey Duane Hamilton was put to death at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Tuesday for the execution-style slaying of four employees at Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken Restaurant in Tulsa 14 years ago.

Hamilton, 38, was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m. in the maximum security prison's death chamber. The U.S. Supreme Court denied the Tulsan's final appeals on Monday, with justices David Souter and John Paul Stevens voting in the minority to grant a stay of execution.

Hamilton received four death sentences after he and three others were convicted of killing Joseph Gooch, 17; Theodore Kindley, 19; Senaida Lara, 27; and Stephen Williams, 24.

Four robbers took $2,200 and then forced the victims into the restaurant's walk-in refrigerator on August 17, 1992. They were each shot once in the back of the head.

On Tuesday, Hamilton smiled and nodded to several members of his defense team who witnessed the execution. None of Hamilton's family were present inside the viewing room.

"I wish everyone could experience the love of God to the degree I have experienced," Hamilton said while strapped to a gurney, intravenous tubes attached to his arms. "I love everybody, and I hope to see you on the other side."

Although Hamilton did not admit any part in the crime, he did acknowledge members of the victims' families, who were seated behind one-way glass.

"To the victims' family, I pray that you have peace and all that you're in need of."

The drugs began to flow at about 6:08 p.m., and Hamilton took several deep breaths. He appeared to stop breathing around 6:10 p.m.

Seventeen members of the victims' family witnessed the execution either from a room overseeing the death chamber or via a closed-circuit television within the prison, officials said.

"I forgave this man years ago, because I believe that's what God wants us to do, but I'll never forget what he did to my family," Janice Ramsey, Williams' mother, said after the execution. "We may try to forgive him in our hearts, but we'll never forget."

Gilbert Lara, Senaida Lara's husband, said he wasn't expecting an apology from Hamilton.

"He'd just be wasting his time saying he's sorry," Lara said. "Anything he had to say, from day one, didn't matter to me."

Three other men were convicted and sentenced to life in prison in the case, but Hamilton received the death penalty in part because one of the co-defendants testified Hamilton was the shooter.

That co-defendant, Donnie Daniels, later recanted a significant portion of his trial testimony but refused to cooperate during a court hearing.

William Hamilton, Corey Hamilton's brother, and Tyrone Johnson also were sentenced to life in prison for their part in the crime.

Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Dickson, who has represented the state during Corey Hamilton's appeals, said she's confident Hamilton shot the four victims.

"I don't have any doubts. I think it was very well investigated," Dickson said. "I don't feel there is any problem with the guilt phase of this case at all."

Hamilton's attorney, Robert Nigh Jr., had argued the state's method of lethal injection constitutes cruel and unusual punishment because it creates "a severe and unnecessary risk of failure and conscious physical suffering."

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver denied Hamilton's appeal on Thursday, ruling that he did not file his argument in a timely manner and that he was unlikely to win on the merits of his argument, Nigh said.

Dickson says Oklahoma's method of lethal injection recently was modified to give the condemned double the amount of the anesthetic sodium thiopental to ensure they are unconscious when the fatal drugs are administered.

"It's to a level where you would feel absolutely no pain," Dickson said. "The Department of Corrections has bent over backward to make sure this is not cruel and unusual. We want them to have a peaceful execution."

Several family members of the victims were expected to witness Tuesday's execution.

Department of Corrections spokesman Jerry Massie said Hamilton's final meal request was for barbecue chicken, ribs, chopped brisket and hot wings. He also asked for a large side dish of baked beans, sauce and extra bread.