Clemency Petition Filed for Death Row Inmate Richard Fairchild

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — A clemency petition has been filed for death row inmate Richard Fairchild, who is scheduled to be put to death on Nov. 17, 2022.

On Sept. 30, Fairchild’s attorneys filed a clemency petition with the Oklahoma Board of Pardons and Parole, claiming Fairchild as a person with severe brain damage.

Fairchild has sat on death row for 26 years, sentenced in 1996 to death for the murder of three-year-old Adam Broomhall.

“During his 26 years on death row, Richie’s brain has continued to deteriorate; he can no longer tell the difference between reality and delusions,” Fairchild’s attorneys wrote in the clemency petition. “Despite this, Richie does not deny responsibility for his crime and continues to show remorse and contrition and ask for forgiveness.”

Fairchild’s attorneys say that neither the trial judge nor the jury was informed during the trial about Fairchild’s progressive and chronic brain disease that was caused by what they say is catastrophic head trauma: a dysfunctional brain made worse by alcohol and drug abuse.

“The jury was misinformed about the culpable mental state for the crime of child abuse murder,” Fairchild’s attorneys said. “During sentencing deliberations, the jury asked if Richie would ever get out if sentenced to life without parole. The trial judge refused to answer their question. Quite simply, Richie is facing execution because of what the jury did not know.”

Emma Rolls, one of Fairchild’s attorneys, says that he suffers from schizoaffective disorder which leaves him with continued delusions.

“His psychosis has been confirmed over the course of years by Oklahoma’s Department of Corrections and often goes untreated,” Rolls said. “Mercy is now fitting.”

Should a clemency trial not be granted for Fairchild, his execution will take place on Nov. 17, which also happens to be his 63rd birthday.

The full clemency petition can be viewed here.