Oklahoma Executes 74-Year-Old Death Row Inmate

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- The state of Oklahoma executes a 74-year-old man for the 1984 fatal stabbing of his stepson.<br/><br/>John Albert Boltz became the oldest person to be put to death in the state

Thursday, June 1st 2006, 9:08 am

By: News On 6

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- The state of Oklahoma executes a 74-year-old man for the 1984 fatal stabbing of his stepson.

John Albert Boltz became the oldest person to be put to death in the state of Oklahoma when he was pronounced dead at 7:22 PM after receiving a lethal mixture of drugs at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

Boltz was executed hours after the Supreme Court denied two requests for stays of execution and a federal appeals court reversed a federal judge who ordered the execution be halted.

Department of Corrections spokesman Jerry Massie says it wasn't immediately clear why the execution -- originally set to begin at 6 PM -- was delayed.

Boltz was convicted of killing 22-year-old Doug Kirby after Kirby went to his home to confront Boltz about threats he'd made to Kirby's mother. Boltz and Pat Kirby were divorcing at the time.

Boltz said he acted in self-defense, but coroners say Kirby was stabbed eight times and nearly decapitated.