Washington (AFP) - A US man sentenced to death for taking captive and then murdering an elderly couple was to be executed Thursday in Oklahoma after officials agreed his priest could be in the execution chamber.
Scott Eizember, 62, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at 10:00 am (1600 GMT) in the penitentiary in McAlester in the central US state.
Eizember murdered A.J.Cantrell and Patsy Maye Cantrell, both in their 70s, on October 18, 2003.
"After holding the Cantrells captive for hours, Eizember shot Mrs Cantrell and repeatedly bludgeoned Mr Cantrell in the head with the same shotgun," the Oklahoma attorney general said in a statement.
"Eizember then made himself a snack and drank and sat in the house, unbothered, as A.J.and Patsy languished and died."
In 2005 he was convicted and sentenced to death.
Last September he was visited by Jeffrey Hood, a priest of the Old Catholic denomination who is opposed to capital punishment.
The two grew close and Eizember sought to have Hood present when he died.
On January 4 prison officials refused the request, concerned that Hood's militant opposition to the death penalty could disrupt the execution and upset the family of the victims.
Hood and Eizember sued over the decision, saying the authorities were "hostile toward religion."
"They deny a prisoner his chosen spiritual advisor at the most critical juncture of his life: his death," they said.
On Wednesday prison authorities reversed their decision and accepted the request, saying it was important to bring the case to an end.
"The family members of the victims in this case are ready for closure," said Oklahoma Corrections Department Director Steven Harpe in a statement.
"They understand that the lawsuit challenging the decision to deny chamber access to the activist could lead to Thursday's execution being stayed," he said.
"Far too often, it is the victim and the victim's family who are overlooked in these cases.We want to make sure their concerns are heard instead of everything being solely about the inmate," he added.
