- 5:00 ET, Feb 18 2022
- Updated: 5:00 ET, Feb 18 2022
GILBERT Postelle was executed on February 17, 2022, nearly 15 years after he killed four people in Oklahoma, and his last meal was revealed ahead of his death.
Postelle’s final meal consisted of 20 chicken nuggets with various sauces, fries, a crispy chicken sandwich, one chicken sandwich, a large cola, and one caramel frappe, and was approximately 3872 calories.
A DOC spokesman, Justin Wolf, said Postelle was pronounced dead at 10.14am, according to reporter Keaton Ross on Twitter.
Postelle killed four people on Memorial Day in 2005, in what he claimed was a connection to his father’s motorcycle accident that had left him severely injured.
Police reported Postelle used an AK-47 stifle rifle when he killed James Alderson, 57, Terry Smith, 56, Donnie Swindle, 49, and Amy Wright, 26, at an Oklahoma City home in 2005.
Postelle was 19 years old when he killed the four people but in December 2021, he claimed he didn’t remember the murders because of his methamphetamine use in the days leading up to the attack on the four people.
Postelle requested a stay of execution in December 2021 after claiming the lethal injection penalty is unconstitutional.
Read our Gilbert Postelle live blog for the latest news and updates…
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Who confirmed Postelle’s execution?
DOC spokesman Justin Wolf received a phone call with the confirmation of Gilbert Postelle’s time of death.
Reporter Keaton Ross shared a video of Wolf making the announcement after receiving the call.
Postelle was pronounced dead at 10.14am.
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Postelle is plaintiff in death penalty lawsuit
Postelle is the fourth person killed by Oklahoma in recent months, the Huffington Post noted.
His death comes amid a lawsuit over whether or not Oklahoma’s lethal injection protocol is unconstitutionally cruel.
Postelle was a plaintiff in that lawsuit, the outlet revealed.
It is set to go to trial in less than two weeks.
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How long can someone be on death row?
Due to the jurisdiction’s extensive and time-consuming appeals procedures, inmates in the United States may have to wait several years before being executed.
Between 1977 and 2010, the period between sentencing and execution grew substantially, with a 22 percent rise between 1989 and 1990 and a comparable increase between 2008 and 2009.
In 2010, the average time between sentencing and execution for a death row inmate was approximately 15 years.
In the United States, over a quarter of convicts on death row die of natural causes while awaiting execution.
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States that still have capital punishment, continued
The remaining states are:
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Wyoming
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States that still have capital punishment
The death penalty is still in place in twenty-seven states in the United States:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
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What is execution by firing squad?
Execution by firing squad, often known as fusillading, is a kind of capital punishment used primarily in the military and during times of war.
Shooting as a method of execution is a long-standing practice.
It is used for a variety of reasons, including the fact that weapons are generally easily available, and a gunshot to a crucial organ, such as the brain or heart, usually kills swiftly.
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How many people have been executed in Oklahoma?
Between 1915 and 2022, the Oklahoma State Penitentiary executed a total of 195 men and three women.
Eighty-two were electrocuted, one – a federal prisoner – was hanged, and 115 were put to death by lethal injection.
The last electrocution was carried out in 1966.
On September 10, 1990, Charles Troy Coleman became the first inmate in Oklahoma to be executed via lethal injection.
Coleman was found guilty of Murder in the First Degree in Muskogee County in 1979.
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Death row in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Legislature passed the current death penalty statute in 1977, according to Oklahoma’s state website.
The execution is carried out via lethal injection.
Oklahoma’s first death penalty statute stipulated that electrocution conduct executions.
The death sentence, as it was applied at the time, was declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in 1972.
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Does Oklahoma use firing squad for executions?
Since statehood, Oklahoma has never employed the firing squad to execute criminals.
Current state law allows for it if alternative procedures, such as lethal injection, are found to be unlawful or unavailable.
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Why did Postelle ask for stay of execution?
Gilbert Postelle requested a stay of execution in December 2021 after claiming the lethal injection penalty is unconstitutional.
He instead requested to be executed by firing squad, a request that was denied.
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What did Mary Jo Swindle say?
Speaking against Postelle’s family, the mother of victim Donnie Swindle, Mary Jo Swindle, said: “We never got to see him after he was murdered because his body was riddled and torn with bullets.
“You may be a changed man, but my son and three others are still dead.”
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Postelle’s family, part three
Thompson continued: “Executing Gil is not going to bring those people back. It’s only creating more victims.
“He deserves a second chance execution affects more than one person.
“The system says execution is justice for murder, yet execution is murder.
“So where is our justice when the state murders the person we love and love?”
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Postelle’s family, continued
Jackie Thompson, Postelle’s fiancé, read a letter during a news conference on February 1, 2022, in which she, like his daughter, requested that Postelle’s life be spared.
“Gil is kind, loving, funny, loyal, and has a heart of gold. He is amazing in more ways than one. Gilbert Postelle is someone’s husband and I say husband because we don’t need a paper to prove our love,” Thompson said.
“He is a dad, a son, a brother, and a friend. How can the system say it’s wrong to kill, but yet they do it. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
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What did Postelle’s family say?
Gilbert Postelle and his ex-wife Jenny have a daughter, Kaylei Johnson, and he is presently engaged to Jackie Thompson, an Oklahoma native.
Johnson talked about her father’s integrity and appealed for his life to be spared when the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board heard both sides after Postelle requested mercy.
“My dad is my inspiration. He keeps me going,” Kayle said.
“He calls me his beautiful daughter and says he’s proud of me. I don’t want to lose my dad.”
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Postelle’s final moments, continued
For another minute or two, his chest rose and fell gently, according to The Oklahoman.
His final movement was a twitching of a finger at 10.09am.
At 10.10 am, media witness Sean Murphy of The Associated Press saw a tear slide down the side of his cheek.
Dr Ervin Yen was in the witness room with reporters from the Associated Press, The Oklahoman, two Oklahoma City TV stations, and The Frontier.
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Postelle’s final moments
Postelle remained quiet and largely gazed straight up during his execution on Thursday, according to The Oklahoman.
He looked at the five media witnesses three times.
At 10am, the curtain in the execution room rose, and he was asked if he had any final remarks.
By 10.02 am, his eyes were drooping. A minute later, they were mostly closed.
After a doctor entered the cell and checked him, he was declared unconscious at 10.06am.
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Gilbert Postelle’s last meal
Postelle had 20 chicken nuggets with ranch, BBQ, and honey mustard dipping sauces during his last dinner on Wednesday, according to The Oklahoman.
He also ordered three huge ketchup-flavored fries, a crispy chicken sandwich, a chicken sandwich, a large cola, and a caramel frappe.
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Execution had “zero complications”
According to Attorney General John O’Connor, the execution was carried out “with zero complications.”
Corrections Department Director Scott Crow told reporters: “”I believe the last couple of executions have been very smooth.”
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When was Postelle declared dead?
Postelle was pronounced dead at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at 10.14am.
He was 35 years old at the time.
He apologized for killing four people at his clemency hearing in December, but he made no final comment on Thursday.
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‘Not a joyous day for anyone’
The sister of of Gilbert Postelle’s victim Donnie Swindle, Shelli Milner, read a statement to reporters after Postelle’s execution.
She said that it was “not a joyous day for anyone” and that Postelle’s death “did not end anyone’s suffering,” The Frontier reported.
“Today ended one monster’s life who stole four innocent people’s lives,” Milner said.
“His family grieves as our families have grieved for 17 years. To know that he will never walk this Earth again does give me a little more peace than I had yesterday.”
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History of last words before execution, continued
Many people awaiting execution have the option to seek forgiveness from the victim’s family as well as their own, according to AETV.com.
Others, however, grow stubborn or use humor in an unnerving way near the end.
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History of last words before execution
Prior to the execution of a death row prisoner, whether by lethal injection, gas chamber, or another method, the condemned are given the opportunity to say their last words.
Allowing final remarks as part of the execution, according to law professor Jeff Kirchmeier of the City University of New York School of Law, may have made things more orderly by removing the need for the condemned to cry things out.
“There was probably a religious aspect of the tradition, too, giving the condemned an opportunity to repent before going to the next world,” said Kirchmeier.
“Their statements would also warn others watching of the dangers of various vices.”
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No last words
Gilbert Postelle had no final words before the state of Oklahoma executed him on Thursday.
He shook his head “no” and closed his eyes before he was given the lethal injection drugs that led to his death, The Frontier reported.
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Who did Postelle kill?
Police reported Postelle used an AK-47 stifle rifle when he killed James Alderson, 57, Terry Smith, 56, Donnie Swindle, 49, and Amy Wright, 26, at an Oklahoma City home in 2005.
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Capital crimes in Oklahoma
First-degree murder in Oklahoma is punished by death in the following situations:
- The defendant has previously been convicted of a felony that involved the use or threat of violence against another person.
- The defendant deliberately put more than one person in danger of death;
- The individual killed for money or the promise of reward, or hired someone else to kill for remuneration or the promise of remuneration;
- The assassination was particularly horrible, awful, or cruel;
- The murder was carried out in order to avoid or deter a valid arrest or prosecution;
- The murder was done by someone who was serving a jail sentence for a criminal conviction;
- Existence of a reasonable possibility that the defendant will engage in unlawful acts of violence that would pose a long-term harm to society; or
- The murder victim was a peace officer or a correctional staff of a Department of Corrections-controlled facility, and he or she was slain while performing official duties.
