Southwest
Death row inmate may get retrial due to claim of 'sex-shaming' prosecutors
Oklahoma’s only female death row inmate, whose attorneys argue was “sex-shamed” during her husband’s murder trial, may have another day in court after a Tuesday Supreme Court ruling.
Brenda Andrew, now 61, was sentenced to death in 2004 for the murder of her estranged husband, Rob Andrew.
She was convicted in the 2001 murder, along with her lover and fellow Sunday school teacher, James Pavatt. Pavatt, who had sold Rob Andrew an $800,000 life insurance policy, had confessed to killing Rob with a friend. He denied that Brenda was involved.
Brenda Andrew told police after the shooting, during which she was shot in the arm, that two masked men attacked her and her husband while he was helping her ignite the pilot light on the furnace in their garage, according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Her attorneys argue that evidence about her “plainly irrelevant sexual history” wasn’t fair to use in court, where prosecutors called her a “slut puppy” and showed jurors one of her thongs, according to their court filings.
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Brenda Andrew in court in Oklahoma City in 2004. (David McDaniel/The Oklahoman)
The prosecutor said the thong was strong evidence that Andrew had murdered her husband, the New York Times reported.
“The grieving widow packs this to run off with her boyfriend,” he said, holding her garment. “Can’t twist the facts, folks. Can’t twist the evidence.”
Andrew had packed the underwear for a trip to Mexico days after her husband’s death. Andrew and Pavatt ran out of money three months after the murder, in February 2002, and re-entered the United States, according to the outlet, where they were arrested at the border. Andrew’s two children, who were traveling with them, were put into their paternal grandparents’ custody.
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Supreme Court justices wrote in their decision that the prosecutor “spent a significant amount of time at the trial” going over details about Andrew’s sex life that were unrelated to her husband’s murder.
“Among other things, the prosecution elicited testimony about Andrew’s sexual partners reaching back two decades; about the outfits she wore to dinner or during grocery runs; about the underwear she packed for vacation; and about how often she had sex in her car,” the majority wrote in their decision. “The ultimate question is whether a fair-minded jurist could disagree that the evidence ‘so infected the trial with unfairness’ as to render the resulting conviction or sentence a ‘denial of due process.’”
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Brenda Andrew is pictured at left in 2004 and in her most recent mugshot in 2024 at right. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections)
However, Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Neil M. Gorsuch dissented.
“Sex and marriage were unavoidable issues at Andrew’s trial, and the state introduced a variety of evidence about her sexual behavior,” Thomas wrote.
In a brief urging the Supreme Court not to hear Andrew’s case, prosecutors argued that testimony regarding her appearance and sexuality were “but a drop in the ocean” of evidence against her. Before the Supreme Court’s Tuesday decision, lower courts had suggested that while prosecutors’ presentation of the case was inappropriate, the case against Andrew still stands.
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The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado will now review Andrew’s claims.
Andrew’s attorney, Ed Blau, told KOCO News 5 that it will be up to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to determine whether evidence “regarding [his client’s] sex life” and “regarding her qualities as a mother… should not have been given to the jury, and whether it rose to the level of violating her due process rights.”
He said Andrew could be resentenced or get an entirely new trial based on the appeals court’s findings. The court could also decide that no action is needed, and that Andrew should remain on death row.
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Jessica Sutton, another one of Andrew’s attorneys, told The Oklahoman that she hoped the court would “stop this injustice.”
“Wielding these gendered tropes to justify a conviction and punishment of death is intolerable and poses a threat to everyone who does not follow rigid gender norms,” she told the outlet.
Although she doubts the court will acquit Andrew of murder, forensic psychologist Dr. Carole Lieberman told Fox News Digital said she is likely to get a retrial.
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James Pavatt is pictured in a 2003 mugshot at left and a 2024 mugshot at right. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections)
“The evidence about her role in the murder was not enough to get the death penalty so [prosecutors} preyed on jurors‘ stereotypes of a ‘fallen woman’ and got them to despise her,” Lieberman said. “The prosecution’s so-called evidence was more prejudicial than probative… I think it was inappropriate personal hatred of the prosecutors toward her or inappropriate personal revenge or a personal desire to punish her more severely instead of just giving her life in prison.”
A three-judge panel voted 2-1 to reverse part of Pavatt’s death sentence in June 2017. They determined that Andrew’s husband died too quickly for his death to be considered “cruel and heinous,” an aggravating circumstance that allowed the state to issue him the death penalty, Oklahoma City’s KFOR reported.
Andrew’s last appeal in 2008 was denied, according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Woman killed by driver while crossing PCH in Long Beach
A woman was struck and killed by a driver while crossing the street on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach.
On June 3, the female pedestrian was using the crosswalk at Pacific Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue around 4:50 a.m.
She had walked against a red light and was hit by a 19-year-old driver in a Chevy sedan, Long Beach police said.
Despite lifesaving efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
“At this time, impaired driving, distracted driving and excessive speed are not believed to be a factor in this collision,” police said.
The woman’s name is being withheld pending identification by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information on the incident is asked to call Detective Joseph Johnson at 562-570-7355.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
Los Angeles, Ca
Man wanted for deadly Los Angeles road rage shooting extradited from Mexico
A man wanted for a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles was arrested and extradited from Mexico after fleeing the U.S. in 2024.
The suspect was identified as Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Authorities had been searching for him since the deadly incident on October 10, 2024.
Rojas and a second suspect, Joshua Rojas Sr., 47, of Downey, were driving on the northbound 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights around 4 p.m. when they became involved in an altercation with another driver that escalated into a shooting.
Video of the tense confrontation showed the suspects, who were driving a Dodge Durango SUV, opening fire on two men in a Cadillac sedan.
The shooting forced the victim to pull over abruptly. That’s when a suspect ran up to the Cadillac, opened the passenger-side door and fired several shots at close range.
In a panic, the Cadillac driver tried to escape by making a sudden U-turn and driving against oncoming traffic. He eventually crashed head-on into several vehicles.
The suspects ditched their SUV and fled toward a freeway exit on foot. The Cadillac driver was left with serious injuries and his passenger was killed. Their identities were not released.
The incident caused a miles-long backup that left thousands of motorists stranded on the freeway for hours and authorities worked to clear the scene.
Following an extensive investigation, detectives identified the two men as the suspects involved.
Joshua Rojas Sr. was arrested in San Bernardino on October 22, 2024, on a murder charge. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, Christian Rojas had fled the U.S. and was hiding in Mexico, detectives said. A $4.3 million bail warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Through a coordinated international effort, investigators determined that Rojas was living in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico,” CHP officials said. “The U.S. Marshals Service worked with Mexican state police to locate and arrest him on the outstanding warrant.”
On June 2, 2026, Christian was arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face a murder charge.
“This arrest demonstrates that time and distance will not shield violent offenders from justice,” said CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris. “For nearly two years, our detectives remained relentless in their pursuit of those responsible for this senseless act of violence. Through exceptional collaboration with the United States Marshals Service and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, we located and apprehended this suspect and brought him back to face the charges. We remain committed to protecting the public, supporting victims and their families, and holding violent criminals accountable wherever they may try to hide.”
Los Angeles, Ca
NB 405 Freeway closed near LAX after pursuit ends in gunfire
The northbound 405 Freeway will remain closed for several hours near Los Angeles International Airport after a police pursuit ended with officers opening fire Friday morning. Unconfirmed reports indicated the incident began with a robbery at a 7-Eleven store, which ended with Los Angeles Police Department officers pursuing the suspect in a Kia. The chase […]
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