Archbishop Coakley mourns execution of Oklahoma murderer, urges prayers for end to death penalty

Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley this week lamented the state’s execution of convicted murderer Kendrick Simpson, urging prayers for an end to what he called the “inhumane” punishment of the death penalty.

Oklahoma executed Simpson on Feb. 12 for the 2006 murders of 20-year-old Glen Palmer and 19-year-old Anthony Jones. Simpson was convicted of killing the two in a shooting outside of an Oklahoma City nightclub.

Simpson’s execution came after the state’s Pardon and Parole Board voted against his clemency petition. The U.S. Supreme Court similarly rejected his appeal. He was pronounced dead at 10:19 a.m. on Feb. 12.

Coakley in a statement on X said the execution — coming shortly after the state’s March for Life — “brought into stark reality just how much work remains” for pro-life advocates in the state.

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“Heinous crimes should not go unpunished and our compassion and support for the victims and their loved ones is necessary,” the archbishop said, urging the faithful to “pray for those left behind [who are] often dealing with incomprehensible grief.”

Yet “the intentional killing of the perpetrator cannot heal those terrible wounds,” Coakley said, arguing that the “pain and loss of one death cannot be extinguished by another violent death.”

“The death penalty is inhumane and a poor method of punishment, standing in opposition to our duty to respect and value all human life and cherish God’s plan for humankind, which includes merciful justice and the opportunity for the redemption of the soul,” he said.

Coakley has long been an outspoken opponent of the death penalty, having regularly called for its abolition while arguing that it “only contributes to the continued coarsening of society and to the spiral of violence.”

Oklahoma, meanwhile, has for years been among the most execution-heavy states in the country; it is first among states in executions per capita and seconded only by Texas in total numbers of executions.

Coakley himself is among the numerous U.S. prelates who regularly advocate against capital punishment in their respective states. The Death Penalty Information Center says that 23 states and the District of Columbia have abolished capital punishment.

The archbishop on Feb. 12 urged the faithful to join him in “praying for an end to the death penalty in our state and nationwide.”

He also urged prayers “for the victims, Glen Palmer and Anthony Jones, and their families, as well as Kendrick Simpson and his family.”

Simpson himself had openly confessed to the murders ahead of his execution as part of his clemency plea before the state board.

At the hearing he also addressed the families of his victims, telling them directly: “I apologize for murdering your sons.”

“I don’t make any excuses, I don’t blame others, and they didn’t deserve what happened to them,” he said.