Oklahoma panel denies clemency for man convicted in 1984 killing of 7-year-old girl

Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole Board is denying clemency for a death row inmate convicted of raping and killing a 7-year-old girl in 1984. Monday's 5-0 decision paves the way for 66-year-old Richard Rojem to be executed by lethal injection on June 27. Rojem was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing his former stepdaughter, Layla Cummings. The child's body was discovered in a field in rural Washita County near the town of Burns Flat. Rojem's attorneys argued that he is innocent and that DNA evidence taken from the girl's fingernails did not link him to the crime. Prosecutors say there is plenty of other evidence agains Rojem.