Oklahoma executed Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez by lethal injection Thursday, Aug. 13, for the 2003 murder of Olimpia Cardina Fisher.
Medical staff pronounced Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, dead at 10:13 a.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesperson Kay Thompson confirmed the time to Oklahoma Voice.
Media witnesses said the state began administering the lethal drugs at 10:02 a.m.
Cuesta-Rodriguez shot Fisher, 43, twice—once in each eye—inside their Oklahoma City home. Her daughter, Katya Wallis, witnessed the first shooting. Wallis was 18 and five months pregnant at the time.
Prosecutors said Cuesta-Rodriguez had abused Fisher, accused her of infidelity and threatened to kill her. Police were outside the home but could not enter because metal security bars blocked the entrance. The Frontier reported.
Cuesta-Rodriguez was the third person Oklahoma executed in 2026 and the 20th under Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Cuesta-Rodriguez was one of three people executed across the United States that day. Alabama and Tennessee also carried out executions, marking the first time since 2010 that three states executed prisoners on the same day.
Fisher’s daughters emphasize domestic violence awareness
Fisher’s daughters, Cinthya Allen and Katya Wallis, did not attend the execution. First Assistant Attorney General Amie Ely read a statement on their behalf.
The sisters said their Christian faith allowed them to forgive. They also urged the public not to lose sight of domestic violence.
“We hope this tragedy and loss reminds everyone of the importance of domestic violence awareness,” their statement said. “We will always be thankful to the law enforcement and justice teams who have supported us through this journey.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the execution delivered justice for Fisher.
“Justice has been served for Olimpia Fisher, whose life was tragically cut short,” Drummond said. “I pray that her family finds some measure of peace after enduring 23 years of unimaginable grief.”
Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez declined to make a formal final statement. However, witnesses said he silently mouthed “I love you” to family members before the execution began.
In July, Cuesta-Rodriguez told the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board he did not want or deserve mercy. He said his priority was apologizing to Fisher’s daughters.
The board voted 3-1 against recommending clemency.
Coalition challenges Oklahoma death penalty costs
The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty condemned the execution. Chair Dr. Elizabeth Overman argued that it did not make Oklahomans safer and consumed resources better spent elsewhere.
“Nobody benefited from today’s execution and the costs to the people of Oklahoma are steep,” Overman said.
The coalition also described every state execution as a violation of the Eighth Amendment. That claim reflects the organization’s legal position, not controlling law.
The U.S. Supreme Court held in Gregg v. Georgia that the death penalty does not automatically violate the Constitution. However, the Eighth Amendment limits how states may impose it and who may receive it.
The coalition’s broader argument about costs has support from Oklahoma-specific research.
A study prepared for the Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission examined 184 first-degree murder cases in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. Researchers found that capital cases cost about 3.2 times more than comparable noncapital cases.
The study conservatively estimated that an Oklahoma capital case cost at least $110,000 more. It also found substantially higher prosecution, defense and appellate expenses, according to the Death Penalty Information Center’s summary.
Evidence about whether the death penalty deters homicide remains inconclusive.
A National Research Council review found that existing research could not determine whether capital punishment increases, decreases or has no effect on homicide rates. The council advised policymakers against using those studies to make definitive claims about deterrence.
Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez’s family and friends said he spent his years in prison burdened by remorse. Fisher’s daughters centered their final public statement on forgiveness, accountability and domestic violence awareness.
