Oklahoma Court Affirms Death Sentence In Deaths Of 2

An Oklahoma appeals court has upheld the death sentence of a man convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of his ex-girlfriend and her infant daughter in Tulsa.

The court handed down the decision Friday in the case of 37-year-old Raymond Eugene Johnson. Johnson was convicted of the June 2007 deaths of 24-year-old Brooke Whitaker and her 7-month-old daughter, Kya Whitaker.

Prosecutors say Johnson repeatedly beat Brooke Whitaker in the head with a hammer, set her on fire and left her and the baby to burn in their home, which he doused with gasoline.

In upholding the conviction and death sentence, the five-judge appeals court unanimously rejected allegations that Johnson's arrest was illegal and a recorded interview with Tulsa police in which he confessed to the killings should be suppressed.