The state of Oklahoma executed Anthony Castillo Sanchez Thursday morning for the 1996 murder of 21-year-old OU dance student Juli Busken.
Sanchez, 44, was executed at 10:19 a.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Sanchez claimed he was innocent in the murder, though opted not to participate in the clemency process with the state’s Pardon and Parole Board. Sanchez is the third death row inmate to be executed this year.
Busken’s case went unsolved for many years until DNA evidence from the crime scene matched Sanchez, who was in prison for burglary at the time. Sanchez was convicted and received the death sentence in 2006.
Sanchez abducted Busken on Dec. 20, 1996, from her apartment complex parking lot in Norman. Later that evening, her body was found near Lake Stanley Draper in Oklahoma City.
According to the Associated Press, Sanchez said he was innocent and did not kill anyone just before he was executed. Sanchez also criticized his former attorneys and thanked his spiritual advisor, supporters and the anti-death penalty group Death Penalty Action.
Prior to the execution, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request for a stay of execution submitted by Sanchez’s lawyer.
In a statement, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond wrote that justice had been served with the execution, nearly 27 years after Busken’s murder. Drummond attended Sanchez’s execution.
“My hope is that today can bring some measure of peace to her family and friends,” Drummond wrote.
This story was edited by Karoline Leonard, Alexia Aston and Taylor Jones. Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
