Weekly Opinion Editorial
DENY PAROLE TO STAFFORD!
by Steve
Fair
On July 16, 1978, three teenagers and two male adults were murdered at a Sirloin Stockade restaurant in south Oklahoma City. The victims ranged in age from 15-56 years old. Six days after the murders Harold Stafford died in a motorcycle wreck in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Harold's sister-in-law, Verna Stafford went to view his body in Chicago and police arrested her as a suspect in the Sirloin Stockade killings. She implicated her husband Roger Dale Stafford in those murders and a total of 29 other killings in seven different states.
On October 17, 1979, Roger Dale Stafford was convicted of nine murders, and sentenced to death. His wife Verna was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and given two life sentences. Verna testified against her husband, and later divorced him while he was on death row. Roger Dale Stafford was executed by lethal injection July 1, 1995. Stafford never acknowledged his guilt.
In an eerie twist, two weeks later, the AG's office received a $5 Sirloin Stockade gift certificate, purchased in El Reno, with the message "Hey, you got away with it. I am murdered and you helped do it! I am innocent and you know it" written on the back and signed "Roger Dale Stafford 103767". Investigators determined it had been mailed from McAlester, Oklahoma (where Stafford was imprisoned), on July 3, two days after Stafford's execution.
This week, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board said Verna Stafford, who is now 73, has passed stage one of the parole process in June, meaning she could be one step closer to getting out on parole. Verna will go to a second round of parole hearings next week.
Oklahoma State Senate President pro tempore Lonnie Paxton, (R-Tuttle) opposes Verna receiving parole. In a letter sent to the state Pardon and Parole Board Paxton wrote: "There are no conditions, circumstances or arguments that can justify recommending her release. The Pardon and Parole Board should remember the victims, remember their families and vote accordingly.” Sen. Paxton is right- Verna Stafford should remain in jail and here is why:
First, the heinous nature of the crime. Even 48 years after the murders were committed, Oklahomans remember the cruel, senseless nature of the crime. Verna's participation- active or passive- is undisputed. Justice is not served when criminals get released. The victim's families have been deprived of their loved ones for almost half a century. They deserve justice.
Second, there is no guarantee Verna is not a danger to society. Criminals can be rehabilitated, but success depends on dealing with the root cause of bad behavior. The secular approach is to deal with their substance abuse, mental illness, lack of education, and job skills. Ignoring the real root cause- man's inherit sin nature- results in secular solutions to spiritual problems. Until God does a work of grace in a heart, rehabilitation is nothing more than behavior modification.
Third, there are consequences for actions. Verna was captured in January 1979 and has been continuously incarcerated since March 1980- 46 years. She was sentenced to two life sentences. Has Verna paid her debt to society? The answer is NO! She should complete her original sentence. Every choice a person makes sets off a chain reaction, creating results that can be good or bad, fast or slow. What Verna did shaped her future. It affected others and she should be held responsible for the outcome.
Contact the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board at (405) 521-6600 or email them at Boardmembers@ppb.ok.gov. Urge them to deny parole for Verna Stafford.
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