Oklahoma executes Richard Fairchild for 1993 torture-murder of girlfriend's 3-year-old son
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MCALESTER, OKLAHOMA: A convicted murderer was executed by lethal injection on Thursday, November 17, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Richard Fairchild had killed his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son, Adam Broomhall, in 1993 after the victim peed on the bed. He was eventually found guilty of the inhumane crime and was awarded the death sentence.
It has been reported that November 17 was also Fairchild’s 63rd birthday and before being put to death, he was treated with two McDonald's Quarter Pounders with cheese, a large Coca-Cola, a pumpkin pie, a large container of fries, and a pint of chocolate ice cream. The former marine breathed his last at around 10.24 am, KOCO reported. After his death, Oklahoma Attorney General John O'Connor in a statement said, “The State’s execution of Richard Fairchild was carried out with zero complications at 10.24 this morning, 29 years after he brutally tortured to death three-year-old Adam Broomhall. Yesterday, Fairchild’s attorneys filed two lawsuits claiming he did not understand why he was being executed.”
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“In Fairchild’s last words, he called today ‘Justice for Adam day.’ Fairchild apologized to Adam’s family. In spite of his attorney’s last-minute attempts to delay his lawful execution, Fairchild quite plainly knew why he was executed. Justice is now served for Adam and the people of Oklahoma. This does not bring Adam back to his family and nothing can fill the void left by the loss of a loved one. Our hearts and prayers are with Adam’s family,” the statement added.
This comes after the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board reportedly denied mercy for Fairchild in October. Assistant federal public defender Emma Rolls requested against execution, claiming the man is “suffering from the effects of major mental illness, namely schizoaffective disorder, leaving him tortured with continued delusions”. “His psychosis has been confirmed over the course of years by Oklahoma’s Department of Corrections and often goes untreated. Mercy is now fitting,” the attorney added.
But O'Connor supported the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board’s ruling and stated at the time, “Adam Broomhall was just three years old when his mother’s boyfriend, Richard Stephen Fairchild, brutally tortured him to death on November 13, 1993, for wetting the bed. Fairchild, a former amateur boxer, beat, burned, and threw Adam into the side of a table, silencing his cries forever. Adam’s 17-year-old aunt was at the home to take care of Adam and his sisters, but she was forced to leave due to Fairchild’s repeated sexual assaults. Had she been able to stay, Adam would have had a loving caregiver and would likely not have been murdered that night.”
“The medical examiner determined that Adam suffered four to six blows on the front of his head. He also suffered very painful second-degree burns. Ultimately, an Oklahoma jury decided death was the just and appropriate punishment for the horrific murder of Adam. The conviction and sentence were affirmed after years of thorough reviews by the appellate courts. The Board’s decision to deny Fairchild’s request for executive clemency was the right decision. Our thoughts and prayers are with Adam’s family,” he had added.