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Murder of Linda Reaves

On January 24, 1985, in Oklahoma City, 35-year-old schoolteacher Linda Reaves (November 5, 1949 – January 24, 1985) and her boyfriend Douglas Ivens were both shot by Bigler Stouffer (September 25, 1942 – December 9, 2021), the boyfriend of Ivens' wife who was targeting Ivens for his $2 million life insurance policy. Ivens survived three gunshot wounds to his body, but Reaves was mortally wounded and died from two gunshot wounds to the head.

Murder of Linda Reaves
Linda Kay Reaves, pictured before her death
DateJanuary 24, 1985
LocationOklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
OutcomeStouffer executed via lethal injection on December 9, 2021
DeathsLinda Reaves, 35
Non-fatal injuriesDouglas Ivens, 33
ConvictedBigler Jobe Stouffer II, 42
ConvictionsFirst Degree Murder
Attempted murder
SentenceMurder
Death
Attempted murder
Life imprisonment

Stouffer was arrested and charged with the murder of Reaves and attempted murder of Ivens, who testified against Stouffer in his trial. Stouffer was found guilty of murdering Reaves and sentenced to death, and he was additionally given life in prison for shooting Ivens. Stouffer, whose death sentence was overturned in 1999 before it was reinstated in 2003, was incarcerated on death row for 36 years before he was executed via lethal injection on December 9, 2021.

Shootings and death of Reaves

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On January 24, 1985, in Oklahoma City, a shooting incident broke out, resulting in the death of one woman and a man seriously wounded from the shooting.

On January 24, 1985, 35-year-old Linda Kay Reaves, a schoolteacher at the Putnam City elementary school, and her boyfriend Douglas Scott Ivens, a homebuilder, were shot by a gunman at Ivens's house. Ivens, who sustained three gunshot wounds (including one on the face), survived the shooting. However, Reaves, who was shot twice in the head by the gunman, died on the spot. The gunman, later identified as Bigler Jobe "Bud" Stouffer II, was the boyfriend of Ivens's estranged wife, with whom Ivens had two daughters.[1]

According to media and court sources, Stouffer, then a 42-year-old computer sales consultant for a Houston firm, reportedly went to the house of Ivens, and asked to borrow a gun. Stouffer told Ivens that his wife was in danger and he needed to borrow a gun, and so, Ivens lent him a .38-caliber pistol. Upon receiving the pistol, Stouffer fired three shots at Ivens before he approached Reaves, who was then sleeping on the sofa, and fired twice at her head. Based on the prosecution's contention, Stouffer had planned to kill Ivens in order to obtain his $2 million life insurance, which was his motive for the shooting.[2][3]

On that same day, Stouffer was arrested at his home and originally, he denied perpetuating the shootings, but he eventually admitted to shooting Ivens. Stouffer also told his girlfriend (Ivens's wife) that he shot both Ivens and Reaves in a phone conversation he made from Oklahoma County Jail, where he was remanded after being charged with the murder of Reaves and attempted murder of Ivens.[4][5] The prosecution announced in May 1985 that they would seek the death penalty for Stouffer.[6]

Trial of Bigler Stouffer

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Bigler Jobe Stouffer II
 
Undated mugshot of Bigler Stouffer
Born(1942-09-25)September 25, 1942
Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedDecember 9, 2021(2021-12-09) (aged 79)
Oklahoma State Penitentiary, Oklahoma, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
Conviction(s)Capital murder
Attempted murder
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment (attempted murder)
Death (murder)
Details
VictimsLinda Reaves, 35 (deceased)
Douglas Ivens, 33 (alive)
DateJanuary 24, 1985
Location(s)Oklahoma City
Imprisoned atOklahoma State Penitentiary

On June 27, 1985, Bigler Stouffer stood trial for one count of murder and another of attempted murder at the Oklahoma County District Court.[7] During the trial itself, Stouffer denied that he murdered Reaves, claiming that when he arrived at the residence of Ivens, Reaves was already dead and he shot Ivens in self-defence while they were both fighting for the gun.[8]

On July 1, 1985, the jury returned with their verdict after 90 minutes of deliberation. The jury found Stouffer guilty of all charges and on the same day, the jury spent two hours to decide on the sentence, and recommended the death penalty for the charge of murder while settling on a life sentence for the other charge of attempted murder.[9] On July 22, 1985, Oklahoma County District Judge Raymond Naifeh formally sentenced Stouffer to death for murdering Reaves, as well as life imprisonment for shooting Ivens.[10]

Stouffer's appeal was dismissed in 1987 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.[11][12] Another appeal to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals was rejected in 1991.[13]

Alleged murder-for-hire plot

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While on death row for the murder of Linda Reaves, Bigler Stouffer was suspected to be the mastermind of a contract killing plot pertaining to Reaves's boyfriend Douglas Ivens.

In July 1986, a father-son pair – 58-year-old Billy Jack Blackstone and his 23-year-old son Richard Allen Blackstone – were arrested for attempting to kill two men, one of whom was Ivens while another was former gubernatorial candidate Ron Shotts. The pair, who were allegedly involved in the murder of a 34-year-old woman Peggy Gonzales, were said to have received orders from Stouffer to shoot and kill Reaves. Another death row Inmate, Richard Norman Rojem Jr., who was found guilty of the 1984 rape-murder of his stepdaughter, was allegedly involved in the plot as well.[14][15]

Stouffer was charged in May 1987 for allegedly soliciting the Blackstones to murder both Ivens and Shotts. The Blackstones, who were also charged in this case, agreed to testify against Stouffer, and Rojem similarly turned state evidence against Stouffer on the condition that he would not be charged as an accomplice of the plot.[16]

In the end, on October 17, 1987, the attempted murder charges against Stouffer were dismissed by the Oklahoma County Special Judge Carolyn Ricks, after the prosecution requested for the dismissal on the grounds that the investigators failed to provide reliable evidence to prove Stouffer's alleged involvement in the murder plot. The Blackstones, who were both sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Gonzales, pleaded guilty to attempting to kill Reaves and Shotts, and were each given consecutive terms of ten years in jail.[17] The final accomplice, Richard Rojem Jr., went on to become the longest-serving death row prisoner in Oklahoma before he was ultimately executed on June 27, 2024, 40 years after he killed his stepdaughter.[18][19]

Stouffer's re-trial

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On January 15, 1999, Stouffer appealed to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and claimed that his original trial counsel was ineffective during his 1985 murder trial and asked for his claims to be heard, and the court agreed to grant him a re-hearing of his claims, which were originally dismissed in a previous motion.[20][21]

On July 31, 1999, U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron ruled that Stouffer had indeed been represented by ineffective legal counsel and a re-trial should be granted to Stouffer, whose conviction and sentence for the shootings were overturned as a result of the ruling.[22] In June 2000, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Justice Cauthron's decision and opined that Stouffer did not receive a fair trial due to inadequate legal representation and directed that Stouffer should either be released or re-tried within 120 days after this ruling.[23] Eventually, Stouffer's re-trial for both the murder of Linda Reaves and attempted murder of Douglas Ivens began on January 21, 2003.[24] Both Douglas Ivens, the sole survivor of the shootings, and his wife Velva Ivens Pardee also turned up in court as a witness in the re-trial.[25][26]

On February 5, 2003, after eight hours of deliberation over the past two days, the jury returned with their verdict. Stouffer was found guilty of murder and attempted murder a second time by the jury.[27]

Prior to Stouffer's sentencing, witnesses were called to testify before the trial court and jury, and the prosecution was seeking the death penalty again. Richard Blackstone, one of the two alleged hitmen sent by Stouffer to kill Ivens in 1986, testified about the alleged role played by Stouffer in the contract killing plot.[28] and Reaves's sister, who was by then the sole surviving member of Reaves's immediate family, testified about the sadness of losing her sister in such a horrific way. 0n the other hand, friends and relatives of Stouffer testified that Stouffer was a spiritual man and a good son and asked for leniency.[29]

On February 8, 2003, three days after he was again found guilty of murder, Stouffer was sentenced to death by the jury a second time for murdering Reaves, and the same jury also meted out a life term for the other charge of attempted murder.[30]

Further appeals

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On November 15, 2006, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals rejected Stouffer's appeal and upheld his conviction and sentence for the murder of Linda Reaves.[31][32] Another appeal to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals was once again turned down on February 22, 2007.[33]

In 2013, Stouffer appealed to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that jury tampering played a role in his re-trial and conviction.[34] By 2016, the claims of jury tampering were rejected after the courts found there was no breach of Stouffer's rights to an impartial jury trial.[35]

By 2017, Stouffer had exhausted all avenues of appeal (both state and federal) in his case, and became eligible for an execution date. As of February 2020, Stouffer was one of 26 death row prisoners in Oklahoma to exhaust all their appeals and awaiting their execution dates.[36]

Death warrants and final appeals

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Two years before his first death sentence was overturned, Bigler Stouffer was originally scheduled to be executed on April 22, 1997. However, it was ultimately staved off for unspecified reasons.[37]

In August 2021, six years after Oklahoma imposed a moratorium on capital punishment due to botched executions of Clayton Lockett and Charles Frederick Warner, the Oklahoma attorney general John M. O'Connor applied to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to schedule the execution dates of Stouffer and six other prisoners – Julius Jones, John Marion Grant, James Allen Coddington, Gilbert Ray Postelle, Wade Lay and Donald A. Grant – between October 2021 and February 2022,[38] and all seven would have clemency hearings conducted for them 21 days before their respective execution dates.[39] A month later, in September 2021, Stouffer's death warrant was approved and his execution date was slated as December 9, 2021.[40][41] Subsequently, one of these seven inmates, John Grant, was executed on October 28, 2021,[42] while another one, Julius Jones, was granted clemency and his death sentence was commuted to life without parole hours before his scheduled execution on November 18, 2021.[43]

On November 17, 2021, a clemency hearing was conducted by a five-member panel of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board in Stouffer's case. Stouffer testified before the parole board that he was innocent and he claimed he never killed Reaves, and also said that he shot Ivens while they were both fighting over the gun. On that same day, the parole board voted 3–2 to recommend clemency for Stouffer despite the fact that most of the members were convinced of his guilt, as they were concerned with potential flaws in lethal injection executions in light of the alleged complications of John Grant's execution in October 2021.[44][45]

Despite the parole board's recommendation, the final decision laid on the hands of Oklahoma state governor Kevin Stitt, who had the discretion to either reject Stouffer's clemency plea, or grant Stouffer clemency and commute his death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Stouffer's son and pastor, together with their supporters, also pleaded for Stouffer to receive clemency and stated that they believed he was innocent.[46]

On December 3, 2021, six days before Stouffer's impending execution, Governor Stitt refused to grant clemency to Stouffer and ordered the execution to move forward.[47][48]

Meanwhile, in a final bid to evade execution, Stouffer appealed for a stay of execution as he wanted to challenge the lethal injection protocols of Oklahoma's death penalty laws and maintained he was innocent. A federal district court in Oklahoma rejected the appeal on November 23, 2021,[49] and the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also rejected the appeal.[50][51] Hours before his death sentence was carried out, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Stouffer's final appeal to delay his execution.[52]

Execution

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On December 9, 2021, 79-year-old Bigler Jobe Stouffer II was officially put to death via lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. Unlike the previous executions before Stouffer's in Oklahoma, Stouffer's execution went smoothly without any problems per the observations of the witnesses and officials present. In his last words, Stouffer continued to claim innocence in the murder of Linda Reaves and asked God to forgive his executioners.[53] Prior to his execution, Stouffer told The Frontier in an interview that he found life without parole worse than death and he was thankful and at peace that his clemency was rejected.[54]

Prior to his execution, Stouffer declined a special last meal, but he accepted a final meal of regular prison food, consisting of one chicken burger, two slices of bread, chips, broccoli, mixed fruit, two biscuits, a fruit drink and one bottle of water.[55]

After Stouffer's death sentence was carried out, the surviving family members of Linda Reaves expressed their gratitude to Governor Kevin Stitt and Attorney General John M. O'Connor for allowing the execution to move forward. Reaves's cousin Rodney C. Thomson told reporters during a media conference that justice had prevailed after the family's long wait of 36 years for this outcome.[56]

Stouffer was the oldest person to be executed in Oklahoma at the age of 79 years and two months old, and also the second-oldest person executed in the U.S. after 83-year-old Walter Moody, who was convicted of murdering a federal judge with a mail bomb in 1989. Stouffer was also the second condemned criminal to be executed in Oklahoma after the state's resumption of executions in October 2021, two months before Stouffer's death sentence was carried out.[57]

On February 16, 2022, three months after Stouffer was executed, an autopsy report revealed that Stouffer had fluid in his lungs, which supposedly caused Stouffer to experience drowning-like sensations during the execution procedure. The autopsy report also cited that Stouffer had pulmonary edema, which could result in a heavy sensation in the lungs and breathing difficulties, especially when lying down.[58]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "School Principal Tells Third Grade Students That Teacher Died". The Oklahoman. January 26, 1985. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  2. ^ "Shooting Scene Described In First Day of Testimony". The Oklahoman. June 28, 1985. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  3. ^ "Oklahoma executes man for teacher's slaying in 1985 after Supreme Court denies final appeal". NBC News. December 9, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  4. ^ "Suspect in Teacher's Death Jailed After Shooting Spree". The Oklahoman. January 26, 1985. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  5. ^ "Shootings Suspect Mentioned Crimes". The Oklahoman. June 29, 1985. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  6. ^ "Evidence "Sufficient' to Try Hinton Man for Murder". The Oklahoman. May 2, 1985. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  7. ^ "Trial Begins In Death Case". The Oklahoman. June 27, 1985. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  8. ^ "Defendant Claims Victim Shot in Self Defense". The Oklahoman. June 30, 1985. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  9. ^ "Jury Verdict Guilty in Shooting, Murder of City Schoolteacher". The Oklahoman. July 2, 1985. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  10. ^ "Murderer Sentenced To Death". The Oklahoman. July 23, 1985. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  11. ^ Stouffer v. State [1987], Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
  12. ^ Stouffer v. State (re-hearing) [1987], Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
  13. ^ Stouffer v. State [1991], Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
  14. ^ "Two City Men Identified as Targets of Alleged Hitmen". The Oklahoman. July 8, 1986. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  15. ^ "Father, Son Charged in Conspiracy Case". The Oklahoman. August 16, 1986. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  16. ^ "Death Row Inmate Charged in Plot". The Oklahoman. May 29, 1987. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  17. ^ "Plot Charge Dismissed Against Inmate". The Oklahoman. October 17, 1987. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  18. ^ "Oklahoma executes Richard Rojem for child's death after almost 40 years on death row". The Oklahoman. June 27, 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  19. ^ "Oklahoma prepares to execute man convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing 7-year-old girl in 1984". The Independent. June 27, 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  20. ^ "Appeals Court Orders Death Row Inmate's Case Reopened". The Oklahoman. January 16, 1999. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  21. ^ STOUFFER II v. REYNOLDS [1999], 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (United States).
  22. ^ "Condemned Inmate To Get New Trial Lawyers Were Ineffective, Judge Rules". The Oklahoman. July 31, 1999. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  23. ^ "Condemned man must be freed or retried, court says". The Oklahoman. June 8, 2000. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  24. ^ "Man faces retrial in shooting of couple for insurance benefits". The Oklahoman. January 22, 2003. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  25. ^ "Testimony heard on anniversary of slaying". The Oklahoman. January 25, 2003. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  26. ^ "Witness says she has tried to forget events". The Oklahoman. January 23, 2003. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  27. ^ "Jury returns guilty verdict during retrial in slaying". The Oklahoman. February 5, 2003. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  28. ^ "Hit man tells of murder-for-hire plot Convicted killer plotted deaths of 3 city men, witness says". The Oklahoman. February 6, 2003. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  29. ^ "Convicted killer's family, friends offer kind words". The Oklahoman. February 7, 2003. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  30. ^ "2 convicted killers sentenced to death in unrelated crimes". The Oklahoman. February 8, 2003. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  31. ^ "Appeals court upholds man's conviction, death sentence". The Oklahoman. November 15, 2006. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  32. ^ Stouffer v. State [2006], Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
  33. ^ STOUFFER II v. STATE [2007], Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (United States).
  34. ^ "Man claims jury tampering in Oklahoma death penalty case". The Oklahoman. December 27, 2013. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  35. ^ Stouffer v. Duckworth [2016], 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (United States).
  36. ^ "Oklahoma Death Row: 26 inmates eligible for execution dates". The Oklahoman. February 14, 2020. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  37. ^ "Court Sets Execution Date". The Oklahoman. February 21, 1997. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  38. ^ "Oklahoma AG looks to resume executions, requests dates for Julius Jones, six other inmates". The Oklahoman. August 26, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  39. ^ "Pardon and Parole Board sets clemency hearing dates for Julius Jones, more death row inmates". The Oklahoman. August 31, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  40. ^ "Execution dates set for Julius Jones, 6 other Oklahoma death row inmates". The Oklahoman. September 20, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  41. ^ "Oklahoma has resumed executions. Here are key dates for 6 people on death row". The Oklahoman. October 26, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  42. ^ "Inmate executed in Oklahoma's first lethal injection in six years". The Guardian. October 28, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  43. ^ "Who is Julius Jones, whose death sentence was commuted by Oklahoma's governor?". CNN. November 18, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  44. ^ "Oklahoma board cites execution flaws, recommends clemency". Associated Press. November 17, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  45. ^ "Oklahoma parole board questions execution procedure during clemency hearing". The Oklahoman. November 17, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  46. ^ "Death row inmate Bigler Stouffer's supporters submit signatures for clemency to Gov. Stitt". The Oklahoman. December 1, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  47. ^ "Oklahoma governor denies clemency for death row inmate". Associated Press. December 3, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  48. ^ "Governor Stitt denies clemency to death row inmate Bigler Jobe 'Bud' Stouffer II". The Oklahoman. December 3, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  49. ^ "Oklahoma death row inmate Bigler Jobe 'Bud' Stouffer II denied execution stay". The Oklahoman. November 23, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  50. ^ "One Oklahoma inmate gets execution stay; one does not". The Oklahoman. December 6, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  51. ^ "Oklahoma executes Bigler Stouffer for 1985 slaying of teacher". UPI. December 9, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  52. ^ "U.S. Supreme Court denies stay ahead of Bigler Stouffer's execution". The Oklahoman. December 9, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  53. ^ "Oklahoma executes man for 1985 slaying of schoolteacher". Associated Press. December 9, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  54. ^ "Less than 24 hours away from execution, Bigler Stouffer says he's 'at peace' and is thankful he didn't receive clemency". The Frontier. December 8, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  55. ^ "Death row killer has 'basic' last meal as he's oldest inmate ever executed in US". The Mirror. December 9, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  56. ^ "Oklahoma executes 79-year-old man for 1985 killing of teacher". CBS News. December 9, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  57. ^ "Bigler Stouffer executed in Oklahoma without problems of previous lethal injections". The Oklahoman. December 9, 2021. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  58. ^ "Two Oklahoma death row prisoners had fluid in their lungs when they died". The Frontier. February 16, 2022. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
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