The authorities reported last week that an Oklahoma man freed from jail early this month sneaked into a woman’s home, took out her heart, cooked it, tried to give it to his relatives, and then killed two of them.
According to publicly available records, Lawrence Paul Anderson, who has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings, was pardoned last year as part of a mass commutation program by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board after receiving a 20-year prison sentence in 2017 for violating his probation in a drug case.
He was given a nine-year sentence but only had to serve three of them. He was released in January. Prosecutors are now examining how Mr. Anderson, 42, who had previously served multiple prison terms, qualified for a sentence commutation, which needs the governor’s consent.
At a news conference on Tuesday, the district attorney in charge of the case said he might ask for Mr. Anderson’s execution. Jason Hicks, the district attorney for Grady County, said (as reported by the New york times) –
“When is enough enough? We have put politics and releasing inmates in front of public safety.”
According to an application seeking a search warrant, Mr. Anderson entered Andrea Lynn Blankenship’s house in Chickasha, Oklahoma. He killed and severed her heart on or before February 9, nearly three weeks after his release from prison. According to the officials, Ms. Blankenship’s body had blunt force injuries and stab wounds.
Mr. Anderson told investigators that he had brought Ms. Blankenship’s heart across the street to the residence of his aunt and uncle on Feb. 9, fried it with potatoes, and tried to feed it to them “to unleash the demons,” the affidavit said.
On February 9, Mr. Anderson killed his uncle, Leon Pye, 67, and the couple’s 4-year-old granddaughter, Kaeos Yates, all of whom had been stabbed and displayed evidence of blunt force trauma, according to the authorities. Investigators claimed Mr. Anderson’s aunt, who dialed 911, managed to escape the attack but sustained stab wounds to both her eyes.
On that day, Mr. Anderson was apprehended at his aunt and uncle’s house and sent to the hospital with a severe cut on his hand that required surgery. According to the police, Mr. Anderson admitted to killing their neighbor Ms. Blankenship, on February 11, two days after killing his uncle and cousin. Around 40 miles to the southwest of Oklahoma City is Chickasha.
According to court documents, Mr. Anderson was also accused with maiming and assault and battery with a deadly weapon this week in addition to the murder allegations. Bail was turned down. Investigators claimed to have taken pots and pans as evidence from the aunt and uncle’s house, Mr. Anderson.
Despite stating during a court hearing on Tuesday that he would seek a mental evaluation to establish if Mr. Anderson could stand trial, Mr. Anderson’s attorney, Al Hoch, did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
The Republican governor of Oklahoma, J. Kevin Stitt, directed inquiries concerning the commuted sentence of Mr. Anderson to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, which on Wednesday night did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
You can learn about the events that took place this week by reading the news that we have provided in the following links:
- When a Mother is Accused of Killing Her Kids
- Storms Deluge California, Turning Roads Into Rivers and Killing People
At least three of the board’s five members must favorably recommend an offender for commutation in Oklahoma. The governor is then provided with the applications for final approval. According to their bios on the board’s website, Mr. Stitt appointed three present members to the panel.
According to Mr. Hicks, the district attorney, Mr. Anderson was one of 600 candidates whose commutation applications the parole board considered over three days in January 2020.
