Air Force Veteran Convicted in a 2001 Murder-for-Hire Killing Is Scheduled for Execution in Oklahoma

Published Aug 31, 2026, 2:03 PM EDT

A murder stemming from a love triangle decades ago is set to lead to the end of the ex-service member's life this November.

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Published Aug 31, 2026, 2:03 PM EDT

A U.S. Air Force veteran convicted in a 2001 Oklahoma murder is scheduled to be executed this November. His attorneys plan to raise his military service in an effort to spare his life. James Pavatt, 72, is currently scheduled to die by lethal injection on Nov. 12 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, according to an announcement made Aug. 28 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. If it is carried out, the execution would be the state's fourth and final one of 2026.