Facts of the Crime: Convicted and sentenced to death in the September 3, 1991 rape-murder of 11-year-old Melissa Moody.
At the time of the murders, Cummings lived in a Coal County household of overlapping sexual relationships. The polygamist lived with his ailing father; his wives, Sherry and Juanita Cummings; and one child of each woman. His half-sister and niece lived in nearby Tushka. His wives testified that Cummings lorded over their home, employing violence, rape and incest to control his family. The body of Cummings' sister, Judy Moody Mayo, was found September 9, 1991, near Atoka Lake. The body of Cummings' neice, Melissa Moody, was found stabbed to death about a month later in Choctaw County.
The gruesome murders went unsolved for three years until Juanita Cummings confessed in 1994 to murdering Moody Mayo. She testified that her husband had threatened to kill her son if she did not murder his sister. His wives testified that Cummings helped the women dump his sister's body. After molesting his niece, he took her to rural Choctaw County and stabbed her to death. Cummings was convicted of both murders in 1996, but the conviction for his sister's death was thrown out by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals in 1998 because only the testimony of accomplices linked him to the killing. Juanita Cummings is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. Sherry Cummings is serving a 35-year sentence on two counts of accessory to murder after the fact and one count of permitting a child to be abused.
Victim: Melissa Moody
Time of Death: 6:11 pm
Manner of Execution: Lethal Injection
Last Meal: A bucket of KFC chicken, eight additional drumsticks and a chocolate milkshake.
Final Words: "I love my family. I love my children. I love my gorgeous angel. The justice system let me down on this case. It turned a blind eye to the truth in this. You came here today to see an innocent man die. I forgive everybody involved in this.”
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