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Roger Dale Stafford, Sr., Appellant-Petitioner v. Gary Maynard and the Attorney General of Oklahoma, Appellees-Respondents
Citations: 60 F.3d 837; 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 25573; 1995 WL 397080Docket: 94-6211
Court: Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; July 7, 1995; Federal Appellate Court
On June 21, 1978, Sergeant Melvin Lorenz, his wife Linda, and their son Richard were murdered near Oklahoma City, followed by the shooting deaths of six employees during a robbery at the Sirloin Stockade restaurant on July 16, 1978. Roger Dale Stafford, Sr. faced charges for both sets of murders, being tried first for the Sirloin Stockade killings, resulting in six death sentences, which were upheld on appeal. He was later convicted for the Lorenz murders, receiving additional death sentences that were also affirmed. Over the following twelve years, Stafford filed numerous post-conviction motions in both state and federal courts challenging his convictions and sentences. His constitutional challenges regarding the Lorenz murders were rejected by a Tenth Circuit panel in September 1994, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied his petition for certiorari in May 1995. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals scheduled Stafford's execution for July 1, 1995, after the Supreme Court's denial. In the days leading up to the execution, Stafford filed additional motions and requests for a stay, all of which were ultimately denied. Consequently, he was executed via lethal injection early on July 1, 1995. This execution rendered Stafford's federal habeas corpus appeal concerning the Sirloin Stockade murders moot, leading the Tenth Circuit to dismiss the appeal for lack of a case or controversy. The court's order is designated as non-binding precedent except under specific legal doctrines, and citation is discouraged unless conditions outlined in an earlier general order are met.