Board Denies Clemency For Oklahoma Death Row Inmate

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has denied clemency for a death row inmate scheduled to be executed next month.

The five-member board voted 3-2 Friday against commuting the death sentence of James Lewis DeRosa. He faces a June 18 execution for the stabbing deaths of 73-year-old Curtis Plummer and 70-year-old Gloria Plummer in 2000.

During the hearing, DeRosa expressed remorse for the LeFlore County couple's death and took responsibility for the killings.

Four members of the Plummers' family urged the board to deny clemency.

Prosecutors say DeRosa had worked at the Plummers' ranch. They allege DeRosa and John Eric Castleberry slashed the Plummers' throats and left the scene with $73 and the couple's truck.

Castleberry pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.