Oklahoma man is put to death for killing of girlfriend’s husband, with a Texas execution to follow

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma man was put to death over the fatal shooting of his girlfriend’s estranged husband as he arrived to pick up his two young children before Thanksgiving. It was the first in a pair of executions in the U.S. scheduled for Thursday.James Pavatt, 73, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in McAlester. His breathing did not appear labored during the execution, and he was declared unconscious about six minutes before being pronounced dead at 10:12 a.m. CST.In Texas, John Allen Rubio was set to be put to death later Thursday. The 46-year-old was convicted of beheading three young children he was raising in a 2003 killing that rattled a community along the U.S.-Mexico border.Although the death penalty is getting renewed attention after the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, the U.S. is on track to surpass 40 executions for a second consecutive year — a pace driven by Florida.Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he woul