Bio

Jerald Wayne Harjo was born on March 20, 1961. He was Native American and lived in Oklahoma. Before the murder of Ruth Porter, Harjo had prior contact with the criminal justice system. At the time of the killing, he was on a suspended sentence for car theft and had previously served time for burglary.

Reports also stated that Harjo had served one year in the National Guard and received an honorable discharge. Supporters later argued that he had been a generally good employee and had behaved well while held in county jail before trial.

On the night of the crime, Harjo had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before riding a bicycle toward his brother’s home in Wewoka, Oklahoma.

Murder Story

On January 16, 1988, Jerald Wayne Harjo was riding his bicycle through rural Seminole County, Oklahoma, when rain began to fall. He abandoned the bicycle near the home of 64-year-old Ruth Marie Porter and decided to steal her vehicle. Harjo tried to start Porter’s van but was unable to do so without the keys. He then entered her home by stacking cinder blocks outside a window and climbing through.

Inside the house, Harjo searched for the van keys. According to his later confession, he entered Porter’s bedroom wearing a pillowcase with eyeholes over his head. Porter woke up during the break-in. Harjo then placed a pillow over her face and strangled or smothered her.

Porter’s daughter, Mary Branscum, found her body the next morning. Porter was lying on her back with a pillow over her face. Investigators found injuries including scratches, bruising, a crushed windpipe, and evidence that led them to believe she had also been sexually assaulted.

Porter’s Ford Mustang was missing from the home. Police later found the vehicle at the home of Harjo’s brother. Officers also discovered the bicycle Harjo had used in a ditch near Porter’s residence.

Investigators found muddy tennis-shoe prints inside Porter’s home, which helped connect Harjo to the crime. After questioning, Harjo confessed on audiotape. At trial, prosecutors presented the confession, physical evidence, and testimony linking Harjo to the stolen vehicle and the scene. Harjo was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

During appeals, his attorneys argued that additional mitigating evidence about his background and character should have been presented to the jury. They also challenged the use of Oklahoma’s “heinous, atrocious, or cruel” aggravating circumstance. The appeals were unsuccessful.

Jerald Wayne Harjo was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester on July 17, 2001. He was pronounced dead at 9:10 p.m. He was 40 years old.