OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, today released the following statements regarding his recent request that the state's attorney general review DNA evidence in a death penalty case.

Anthony Sanchez is scheduled to be executed Sept. 21 after being convicted of murdering Juli Busken, who was found raped and shot in the head at a lake near Oklahoma City in 1996.  

"I am flabbergasted that my simple request has turned into a full-blown news story. I also find it interesting how facts are utterly distorted in the public sector," Humphrey said. "I regret that my simple email request was made into a media spectacle."

Humphrey said he received information from a private investigator hired by Anthony Sanchez's death penalty team alerting him that the DNA evidence used in the case was analyzed utilizing old methods and was not evaluated to eliminate Sanchez's father as a suspect in the murder. Humphrey said the private investigator advised that Sanchez's father may have made a dying declaration before committing suicide, which could indicate he was responsible for the crimes.

"Based on the attorney general's media statements, he received similar information," Humphrey said. "Therefore, I made a reasonable request that the DNA evidence be reviewed to eliminate the father and to confirm that Anthony Sanchez is in fact the one guilty of committing this heinous crime."

Humphrey said instead of responding directly to his email request, the attorney general publicly confirmed Sanchez's father had been eliminated as a suspect in the case, reporting that DNA evidence recently had been reviewed to verify Anthony Sanchez's guilt.

"It appears the attorney general and I have been working toward the same goal," Humphrey said. "I am proud the public can witness the efforts made by both the attorney general and me to ensure Oklahomans can be certain of actual guilt before we carry out the death penalty.

"I want to declare that I strongly support the death penalty, but I always want to make sure we get it right. I am working to expose many examples of gross abuse in our Oklahoma Criminal Justice System, and that includes in our state’s death penalty process.

"I am truly disappointed that my reasonable request to ensure absolute certainty in the Sanchez death penalty case was twisted to make it appear there was a conflict between me and the state's attorney general.

"We should all be diligent to seek justice, honesty and accountability in our judicial system."