A 44-year-old man, Anthony Sanchez, who was convicted of the 1996 rape and murder of dance student Juli Busken, was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on Thursday. Sanchez had been sentenced to death in 2006 for his involvement in the heinous crime.

The victim, Juli Busken, was a 21-year-old student at the University of Oklahoma when the tragic incident occurred. Her murder had gone unsolved for several years until DNA evidence led to the conviction of Anthony Sanchez.

Sanchez was executed at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary located in the town of McAlester. The execution was carried out via lethal injection, confirmed a spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Corrections.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond released a statement following the execution, saying, “Justice was served today for Juli Busken nearly 27 years after her life tragically was taken. My hope is that today can bring some measure of peace to her family and friends.”

Throughout the legal proceedings, Sanchez had consistently maintained his innocence and instead pointed to his father as the perpetrator of the crime. However, his claims were contradicted by DNA evidence, leading to his conviction.

Sanchez’s father passed away by suicide just last year, leaving behind unanswered questions regarding the case. In April, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied Sanchez’s request for a new hearing, a decision that Attorney General Drummond welcomed.

“Not only has Sanchez refused to admit his guilt, he even tried to accuse his father of committing the murder—a desperate and cowardly accusation that DNA testing has proven to be false,” Drummond remarked.

Sanchez’s execution marks the third in the state of Oklahoma since the beginning of this year, contributing to a total of 18 executions across the United States in 2023.