Oklahoma | Death row inmate dies in cell ahead of execution date

The man had been convicted of the 2017 murder of a Tecumseh police officer after he was pulled over by the officer and had outstanding warrants and shot him to avoid being arrested

An Oklahoma man convicted of the 2017 murder of a Tecumseh police officer and faced the death penalty for his crimes has died in prison awaiting his execution, according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Byron James Shepard, 43, had been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Tecumseh Police Officer Justin Terney in 2017.

After being convicted by a Pottawatomie County jury back in 2019 he was sentenced to die by lethal injection and has been incarcerated in Oklahoma's death row ever since awaiting his execution date which had yet to be set pending appeals of his death sentence.

“We can confirm that death-row inmate Byron Shepard (ODOC #747199) was pronounced deceased early this morning, Tuesday, Jan. 14, at a local hospital. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General is investigating his death per normal procedure. As no physical injury or trauma was observed, the Medical Examiner’s office will determine the official cause of death," The Oklahoma Department of Corrections said in a statement.

The 22-year-old Terney died on March 27, 2017, from gunshot wounds he suffered during a shootout with Shepard. Terney had conducted a traffic stop on a car in which Shepard was a passenger and a fugitive from the law at the time of the stop.

Shepard during the traffic stop had reportedly given Terney a fake name and after shooting him fled into the woods.

Source: themirror.com, Anthony Orrico, January 14, 2025

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