A pastor told rows of people gathered Saturday at a church in Wichita that it broke his heart to be standing before them.
Loved ones of Emmanual Littlejohn, 52, had held onto hope that they would not see this day.
Over a recommendation from the parole board, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt denied a request for clemency. Littlejohn died by lethal injection the morning of Sept. 26.
Rev. Jeff Hood accompanied him in the execution chamber.
“Emmanual Littlejohn was more than just somebody I worked with — he was my friend,” said Hood, who served as a spiritual adviser to Littlejohn for two years.
Littlejohn was convicted in the 1992 Oklahoma City murder of Kenneth Meers, a convenience store owner.
In August, the parole board voted 3-2 in favor of clemency, the Associated Press reported , after Littlejohn’s attorneys raised questions about who had fired the shot at Meers. A co-defendant in the murder received life in prison.
Littlejohn’s remains were brought back to Wichita, where he spent much of his childhood. The service Saturday was held at New Covenant Church. His grandmother had been the first member in the congregation and he attended church there as a youth, family said.