A man who pleaded guilty to murdering three people has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The crime happened in Oklahoma in 2021.
Lawrence Paul Anderson had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, and one count each of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and maiming.
District Attorney Jason Hicks spoke out about the case, saying,
There’s evidence in possession of my office as well as the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that’s so shocking, after I reviewed it, it kept me up at night for weeks.
Tom Ferguson reported on the plea deal and victim impact statements made before sentencing, March 15, 2023. (KOKH)
The three people who Anderson killed were neighbor Andrea Blankenship, 41; his uncle, Leon Pye, 67; and his uncle’s granddaughter, Kaeos Yates, 4.
Authorities said Anderson first killed Blankenship, cut her heart out, and brought it to his aunt and uncle’s house.
Then, they said, he cooked the heart with a side of potatoes before trying to serve it to them.
After that, he killed Pye and Yates, and severely injured his aunt.
Anderson was actually given five life sentences to be served consecutively.
Basically, what that means is that he is never going to get out of prison,” Hicks said. “The intent of that agreement is to ensure he never steps outside of the prison. Not only that, but to ensure that nobody can ever modify these sentences. That was something that was extremely important to not only my office, but also to the family members of the victims in this case.
Prosecutors said they didn’t seek the death penalty because a trial would further harm the family.
I don’t think I can find another case that’s going to quite compare to this one,” the district attorney said.
Anderson had been released from prison less than a month before the attacks. Gov. Kevin Stitt commuted his 20-year sentence for drug-related crimes after a recommendation from the state Pardon and Parole Board.
Later, a grand jury investigation found he was wrongly placed on the commutation docket after the board rejected his request. source
