James Pavatt Executed in Oklahoma for 2001 Murder of Rob Andrew

“Justice will be served when the death penalty is carried out on Nov. 12,” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said.

The State of Oklahoma executed James Pavatt on Thursday morning for the 2001 murder of an Oklahoma City advertising executive. Pavatt was put to death via lethal injection at 10:12 a.m., according to officials with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Pavatt was convicted for the killing of Rob Andrew, a 39-year-old father of two who worked in the advertising industry.

The motive behind the 2001 murder

Evidence presented during Pavatt’s trial indicated that he had begun an affair with Brenda Andrew, the wife of the victim, in 2001.

Death row inmate James Pavatt executed for high-profile 2001 Oklahoma City murder — KOCO 5 News

Prosecutors argued that the crime was driven by a desire for a large insurance payout. They contended that Pavatt killed Andrew to secure an $800,000 insurance policy.

“James Pavatt plotted Rob’s murder and then, working with Brenda Andrew, gunned down the man who had once been his friend,” said Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections said that the execution proceeded as planned and was “uneventful.” Pavatt did not offer any last words before the procedure.

James Pavatt Executed in Oklahoma for 2001 Murder of Rob Andrew

A long period of grief for the family

The murder stripped Rob Andrew from his children and his immediate family members.

“Justice has been served for Rob Andrew who was taken from his children and his family far too soon,” Drummond said. “I pray that his family finds some sense of peace after 25 years of grief.”

While the execution fulfills the sentence handed down following the 2001 trial, the details revealed during the original trial—specifically the collusion between Pavatt and Brenda Andrew—remained a focal point of the prosecution’s argument regarding the cruelty and premeditation of the act.