OKLAHOMA CITY. (KOKH) — The woman at the center of a grisly mass murder in 1978 could soon be released from prison.
Verna Stafford will go to a second round of parole hearings this week.
Sen. Paxton wrote a letter to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voicing his “strong opposition” to any recommendation of parole for Stafford.
“It was important to me to remind the members of the Pardon and Parole Board what this individual was involved in,” Pro Tem Paxton said. “Stafford was convicted for her role in one of the most horrific mass murders in Oklahoma history, leaving our state in shock and fear.”
Five employees died at the scene, with the sixth employee dying on their way to the hospital.
Before the Sirloin Stockade mass murder, Roger Dale Stafford murdered a family of three in Tulsa County.
Roger Dale Stafford was executed in 1995. Harold died in a motorcycle accident before the trio was captured.
Verna Stafford was sentenced to two life sentences.
She passed her first set of parole hearings in June, moving on to the second level.
“There are no conditions, circumstances or arguments that can justify recommending her release,” Paxton said. “The Pardon and Parole Board should remember the victims, remember their families and vote accordingly.”
Another lawmaker, Sen. Warren Hamilton, who serves as the chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee, echoed Paxton’s sentiment.
“The Pardon and Parole Board should unequivocally deny this request,” Senator Hamilton said. “Someone who committed a crime of this horrific nature should be held accountable for the remainder of their lives. It would be an injustice to the families of these victims to see one of the perpetrators of this heinous crime walk free.”
