McALESTER, Okla., July 20 -- Gregg Francis Braun, accused of killing five people, including an Ardmore, Okla., woman during a flower shop robbery, was put to death Thursday.
Braun, 39, was pronounced dead at 12:17 a.m. after being given an injection of a lethal dose of chemicals. The death sentence was for the slaying of the Oklahoma woman, but Braun was also accused of killing four other, all of whom were shot in the head with a .25-caliber pistol.
Authorities claim that Braun killed Gwendolyn Sue Miller, 31, during a robbery of an Ardmore flower shop in 1989. They said that slaying was part of a crime spree in which Braun also killed people in Garden City, Kan.; Springer, N.M.; and Pampa, Texas. A total of 35 relatives of the victims requested to witness Braun's execution.
In a rambling final statement, Braun listed the victims and apologized to their relatives and his own family.
"I'm so sorry I murdered you. I'm so sorry I killed you," Braun said. "I'm so sorry for what I did to your loved ones."
He also said, "I am not an animal. I've remembered you in my prayers. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
Braun began a 5-day crime spree on July 19, 1989, in Garden City, where he kidnapped and killed store clerks Barbara Kochendorfer and Mary Rains. The following day during a robbery at a Pampa photo store, E.P. Spurrier was shot and killed a crime for which Braun was accused. Two days later, Braun was apprehended in New Mexico after Geraldine Valdez was killed during a convenience store holdup.
Authorities said Braun went on the crime spree to fund a drug habit.
Braun received life sentences for the killings in Kansas and New Mexico. He was charged with the slaying in Texas, but was never prosecuted.
A series of requests Wednesday for stays and appeals were turned down on various court levels, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Braun's death marked the 10th execution in Oklahoma this year and the 112th in the history of the state. Another inmate has an execution date set for August.NEWLN:
