Oklahoma man executed for killing of girlfriend's husband, with a Texas lethal injection in children's beheadings to follow

James Pavatt, 73, was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on Thursday for the 2003 murder of his girlfriend's husband. This marks the first of two scheduled executions in the U.S. today. Meanwhile, Texas is preparing to execute John Allen Rubio, convicted of the 2003 murders of three children. According to the Associated Press, these events contribute to a national trend of over 40 executions this year, even as some states move toward clemency.