Bio

Michael Bascum Selsor was born on September 26, 1954. He grew up in a small town in Oklahoma. His early life was marked by a troubled childhood. Selsor faced many challenges while growing up, including issues at home and difficulties in school. He struggled to fit in and often felt isolated.

As a teenager, Selsor began to engage in petty crimes, which would set the stage for his later life. He became involved with a group of unsavory characters, which influenced his path. By the time he reached adulthood, he had already formed a pattern of criminal behavior.

After turning 18, Selsor's criminal activities escalated. He moved away from home and tried to start fresh, but his past caught up with him. Selsor was known for his reckless actions and increasing trouble with the law. This culminated in numerous arrests and charges that began to define his life.

Murder Story

On September 15, 1975, Michael Bascum Selsor and his accomplice, Richard Dodson, committed a robbery at a U-Tote-M convenience store in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During the robbery, they shot two employees, Clayton Chandler and Ina Morris. Clayton, the convenience store manager, was shot multiple times and died from his injuries. Ina Morris was also shot but survived.

One week after the robbery and murder, Selsor and Dodson were arrested in California. They were identified through their vehicle's Oklahoma license plates. Selsor later confessed to the crime during police interrogations. He admitted that before entering the store, he and Dodson had planned to leave no witnesses. This statement linked Selsor directly to the murder of Clayton Chandler and the shooting of Ina Morris.

Selsor was initially tried in 1976, convicted of first-degree murder, and sentenced to death. However, later that year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Oklahoma's mandatory death penalty statute unconstitutional, leading to his sentence being modified to life in prison without parole. After years of appeal, Selsor's conviction was overturned in 1996, and he was retried in 1998. During this retrial, he was once again convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

Throughout the legal proceedings, Selsor maintained his innocence regarding some of the charges and consistently appealed the decisions made against him. Despite these efforts, he faced a range of convictions, including shooting with intent to kill and armed robbery.

Finally, Michael Selsor was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on May 1, 2012. His execution came after a lengthy legal battle that lasted over three decades.