An Oklahoma man will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole after he admitted to killing two of his family members as well as a woman whose heart he cut out and cooked. According to NBC News, 44-year-old Lawrence Paul Anderson was convicted on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree, one count of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and one count of maiming.
Court documents state that Anderson stabbed and killed his 67-year-old uncle as well as a 4-year-old girl and another woman. The deceased minor was the elderly victim’s granddaughter. The fatal incident reportedly occurred “on or about” Feb. 9, 2021. Anderson also committed the murders not too long after he was released early from prison through a mass commutation initiative.
Besides the killings, Anderson also attacked and injured his aunt. The convicted man is said to have stabbed her and gouged one of her eyes out; an assault he admitted committing. Before killing his two family members and injuring his aunt, authorities said Anderson attempted to serve the victims the deceased woman’s heart. He is said to have brought the organ, which he cooked with potatoes, to his uncle’s residence.
RELATED STORIES
Anderson was serving a 20-year prison sentence for probation violations linked to a drug case when his conviction was commuted by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt last year. The convicted man was released after spending about three years behind bars.
Though several Oklahoma inmates benefited from the prison commutations, the criminal justice initiative was condemned by Grady County District Attorney Jason Hicks, per NBC News.
“It is time that we do better,” Hicks said. “If we have the highest incarceration rate in the world, OK. We can look at our citizens and be honest with them and tell them that you’re safe. I can’t tell the people in my district today that they’re safe.”
