US court upholds Oklahoma death row inmate’s sentence

Scott Eizember.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A divided federal appeals court panel has upheld the murder convictions and death sentence of a 54-year-old man convicted in the 2003 deaths of an elderly Depew couple that launched a multistate crime wave.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 Tuesday to affirm the death sentence of Scott Eizember, who was convicted of first-degree murder in the bludgeoning death of 76-year-old A.J. Cantrell and second-degree murder in the shotgun slaying of 70-year-old Patsy Cantrell. He received the death sentence in A.J. Cantrell’s death and 150 years for Patsy Cantrell’s death.

Eizember was the focus of a manhunt following the shootings but managed to elude authorities for 37 days.

Eizember’s convictions and sentences were previously upheld by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.