I · The Case II · At a Glance III · Timeline IV · Key Figures V · Evidence VI · Verdict VII · The Script
Forgotten True Crime · Case File OK-2001-002 · Reopened

Brenda Andrew & James Pavatt

On November 20, 2001, advertising executive and church deacon Robert “Rob” Andrew, 39, was shot to death in the garage of his Oklahoma City home as he arrived to pick up his two children for Thanksgiving. His estranged wife, Brenda Andrew, and her lover James Pavatt — a fellow churchgoer and the insurance agent who had sold Rob an $800,000 life-insurance policy — were each convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy and sentenced to death (Pavatt in 2003, Andrew in 2004). Brenda became the only woman on Oklahoma’s death row. In January 2025 the U.S. Supreme Court (Andrew v. White) vacated a lower-court ruling against her, holding that her trial may have been rendered fundamentally unfair by the prosecution’s heavy use of ‘sex-shaming’ evidence; her appeal remains active in 2026.

★ The Official Relaunch of Forgotten True Crime · A Crossover with Okie Investigations
Oklahoma City, OklahomaLocation 2001–2026Period 15 peopleIn this file ReopenedStatus
↓ OPEN THE FILE
Section II

The Case at a Glance

Case
State of Oklahoma v. James Pavatt (2003) and State of Oklahoma v. Brenda Andrew (2004) — tried separately.
Crime
Murder of Robert ‘Rob’ Andrew, 39, by shotgun in his garage.
Date & place
November 20, 2001, the Andrew home, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Weapons
12-gauge shotgun (two shots, fatal); .22 pistol (single shot to Brenda’s arm — State said staged).
Motive (State)
an $800,000 life-insurance policy + the Brenda–Pavatt affair.
Defendants
Brenda Evers Andrew (b. Dec 16, 1963) and James Dwight Pavatt (insurance agent, Air Force veteran).
Convictions
both — first-degree murder + conspiracy to commit murder.
Sentences
death for each (Pavatt 2003; Andrew Sept 22, 2004). Brenda is the only woman on Oklahoma’s death row.
Flight
fled to Mexico after the killing; re-entered the U.S. and arrested February 2002.
Key witness
Janna Larson, Pavatt’s daughter (shell casing; FBI cooperation; testimony).
Landmark appeal
Andrew v. White, 604 U.S. 86 (2025) — SCOTUS 7–2 vacated & remanded on ‘sex-shaming’/due-process grounds.
Status (June 2026)
Brenda remains convicted and on death row; appeal active (10th Cir. rehearing petition pending). Pavatt remains on death row (SCOTUS denied cert Jan 27, 2020).
Section III · The Spine of the Case

Detailed Timeline

ACT I — BRENDA & ROB (1963–2000)
Dec 16, 1963
Brenda Evers born in Enid, Oklahoma — honor student, churchgoer, baton twirler.
Sept 19, 1962
Robert Dale ‘Rob’ Andrew born. The two meet in high school through Brenda’s younger brother; Rob attends Oklahoma State University.
May 29, 1984
Brenda and Rob marry. Friends later describe a quickly troubled marriage.
Dec 23, 1990
daughter Tricity born. ~1994–95: son Parker born; Brenda becomes a stay-at-home mother.
Later 1990s
Brenda has affairs — with Rick Nunley, then with James Higgins.
1996
James Pavatt, an insurance agent, sells Rob an $800,000 life-insurance policy.
1999
Rob helps found North Pointe Baptist Church and becomes a deacon; Brenda teaches Sunday school with fellow teacher/deacon James Pavatt.
ACT II — THE AFFAIR & THE SPLIT (2001)
Early–mid 2001
Brenda and Pavatt begin an affair.
Sept 6, 2001
Pavatt’s divorce from Suk Hui Pavatt is granted (per the episode).
September 2001
Brenda and Rob separate; she has him move out.
Oct 3, 2001
Brenda files for divorce.
~Late Oct–early Nov 2001
Rob’s brake line is cut; a hoax call lures him toward a hospital; he calls 911. The State later calls this a failed first attempt. A detective warns Rob not to be around Brenda or Pavatt unescorted.
Rob warns Pavatt’s insurance manager that he believes Pavatt and Brenda are trying to kill him to collect on the policy. A document making Brenda the policy owner is later shown to be forged.
ACT III — THE MURDER (November 20, 2001)
Rob arrives at the family home to pick up the children for Thanksgiving. Brenda asks him to light the furnace pilot in the garage.
As Rob bends down, he is shot with a shotgun (twice). Brenda is shot once in the arm with a .22.
Brenda calls 911 and reports that masked intruders attacked them both.
ACT IV — INVESTIGATION & FLIGHT (2001–2002)
Investigators grow skeptical
powder burns suggest Brenda’s wound was inflicted at close range; Pavatt’s daughter Janna Larson turns over a shell casing she found in her car.
On/around the day of Rob’s funeral, Brenda, the two children, and Pavatt flee to Mexico.
Pavatt contacts Larson from Mexico for money; she is cooperating with the FBI.
February 2002
out of money, Brenda and Pavatt re-enter the U.S. and are arrested at the border.
ACT V — TRIALS & SENTENCES (2003–2004)
2003
Pavatt is tried separately, convicted of first-degree murder + conspiracy, and sentenced to death (plus 10 years). He confesses to shooting Rob but says Brenda was not involved.
2004
Brenda is tried; prosecutors lean heavily on her sexual history, clothing, demeanor, and ‘bad mother’ evidence — including displaying her underwear and calling her a ‘slut puppy.’
Sept 22, 2004
Brenda is convicted of first-degree murder + conspiracy and sentenced to death — the only woman on Oklahoma’s death row.
ACT VI — APPEALS (2007–2026)
2007
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals affirms both convictions; Judge Arlene Johnson dissents on the gendered evidence in Brenda’s case.
2017
a Tenth Circuit panel vacates Pavatt’s death sentence; the en banc court reinstates it. Jan 27, 2020: SCOTUS denies Pavatt cert.
2023
Tenth Circuit (2–1) denies Brenda federal habeas relief; Judge Robert Bacharach dissents.
Jan 21, 2025
U.S. Supreme Court (Andrew v. White), 7–2 per curiam, vacates the Tenth Circuit judgment and remands.
Jan 13, 2026
on remand, a Tenth Circuit panel again denies Brenda relief.
Apr 27, 2026
Brenda’s counsel files a petition for rehearing / rehearing en banc citing ‘rampant gender bias.’ Pending as of June 2026.
Why This Case

Themes & Story Angles

Greed vs. Love

the episode’s framing: ‘love can be a crazy thing, greed can be so much worse.’ The $800,000 policy is the engine of the State’s case; the affair is the spark.

The Man Who Saw It Coming

Rob spotted the cut brake line, the hoax call, and the beneficiary switch, even warning the insurer he thought he’d be killed — yet kept trying to save the marriage. A tragic study in denial and faith.

Who Pulled the Trigger?

Pavatt confessed and insisted Brenda was uninvolved; the State said both fired. The factual dispute over the shooter underlies both death sentences.

The Staged Wound

the .22 shot to Brenda’s arm: victim of intruders, or self-inflicted alibi? Powder-burn testimony was pivotal.

Sex-Shamed to Death

the defining modern angle: did prosecutors convict Brenda for murder, or for being ‘a bad wife, a bad mother, and a bad woman’? This is what reached the Supreme Court.

The Daughter Who Wouldn’t Throw It Away

Janna Larson’s refusal to discard the shell casing, and her FBI cooperation, cracked the case.

Forged in Faith

the forged policy document missing Rob’s ‘fish’ (ichthys) signature mark; faith imagery runs through a crime committed by two Sunday-school teachers.

The Only Woman on Death Row

Brenda’s singular status in Oklahoma, and how gender shaped both the prosecution and the appeal.

A Case That Changed the Law

Andrew v. White now stands for the rule that grossly prejudicial evidence can violate due process; its reach extends well beyond this case.

Section IV

Key Figures · 15 People

Brenda Andrew
Suspect
Defendant — convicted of first-degree murder & conspiracy (2004), sentenced to death. Wife of the victim; lover of co-defendant James Pavatt.
Brenda Evers Andrew (born December 16, 1963, in Enid, Oklahoma) was, by early accounts, a church-going honor student, baton twirler, and homemaker. She married Rob Andrew in 1984 and became a stay-at-home mother after their first child was born. Over the following years she had a series of extramarital affairs — with Rick Nunley, with James Higgins, and finally with James Pavatt, a fellow teacher at the Sunday school she led at North Pointe Baptist Church. In September 2001 she separated from Rob and filed for divorce on October 3, 2001. After Rob was murdered on November 20, 2001, Brenda told police that masked intruders had shot them both; investigators came to believe her own .22 arm wound was staged. She fled to Mexico with Pavatt and her children, then re-entered the U.S. and was arrested in February 2002. Tried separately in 2004, she was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy and sentenced to death on September 22, 2004, becoming — and remaining — the only woman on Oklahoma’s death row. She has always maintained her innocence. Her case became a landmark over the prosecution’s ‘sex-shaming’ tactics: in January 2025 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7–2 in her favor in Andrew v. White. [NOTE: role set to ‘Suspect’ because the app’s role list has no ‘Convicted’ value; she was convicted.]
James Pavatt
Suspect
Defendant — convicted of first-degree murder & conspiracy (2003), sentenced to death. Brenda’s lover; the insurance agent who sold Rob the policy; confessed shooter.
James Dwight Pavatt was a life-insurance agent, an 18-year U.S. Air Force veteran with no prior criminal record, and a deacon and Sunday-school teacher at North Pointe Baptist Church. In 1996 he sold Rob Andrew an $800,000 life-insurance policy. By 2001 he was romantically involved with Brenda Andrew; he divorced his wife, Suk Hui Pavatt, on September 6, 2001. Prosecutors said Pavatt and Brenda forged a document making Brenda the owner/beneficiary of Rob’s policy, then cut Rob’s brake line and lured him to the garage, where he was shot with a shotgun. Pavatt later confessed to shooting Rob but insisted Brenda had no involvement. Tried separately, he was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy and sentenced to death in 2003 (plus 10 years on the conspiracy count). A Tenth Circuit panel vacated his death sentence in 2017, but the en banc court reinstated it; the U.S. Supreme Court denied his petition on January 27, 2020. He remains on death row at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary (DOC #455677). [NOTE: role set to ‘Suspect’ because the app’s role list has no ‘Convicted’ value; he was convicted.]
Robert ‘Rob’ Andrew
Victim
Victim. Estranged husband of Brenda Andrew; father of Tricity and Parker; deacon at North Pointe Baptist Church.
Robert Dale “Rob” Andrew (born September 19, 1962; died November 20, 2001, age 39) was an Oklahoma City advertising executive and a devout Southern Baptist. He met Brenda Evers in high school through her younger brother and attended Oklahoma State University; the two married on May 29, 1984. They had two children. In 1999 Rob helped found North Pointe Baptist Church and served as a deacon, telling friends, “I might look like the old Rob outside, but I’m a brand new person inside.” Despite a turbulent marriage and his wife’s repeated affairs, Rob — who did not believe in divorce — repeatedly tried to reconcile. In the fall of 2001, after Brenda kicked him out and filed for divorce, he grew suspicious: his car’s brake line was cut, he received a hoax call that his wife had been hospitalized, and he warned his insurance company that he believed Pavatt and Brenda were trying to kill him to collect on his policy. On November 20, 2001, he came to the family home to pick up the children for Thanksgiving and was shot to death in the garage. He is buried at Resurrection Memorial Cemetery in Oklahoma City.
Janna Larson
Witness
Key state witness. Daughter of James Pavatt; found the shell casing and cooperated with the FBI.
Janna Larson was James Pavatt’s adult daughter and a pivotal witness for the State. Pavatt borrowed her car; afterward she found a spent shell casing inside it, called her father, and was told to throw it away — instead she turned it over to police. While Pavatt and Brenda were hiding in Mexico, Pavatt contacted Larson asking her to wire money; by then she was cooperating with the FBI, and the contact was used as evidence. She testified that her father told her Brenda had asked him to kill Rob Andrew, that an earlier attempt (cutting the brake lines) had failed, and that he threatened to kill her if she ever repeated it. [The podcast/episode garbles this: it calls her ‘Janice Carr’ in audio and elsewhere implies the deceased Rob phoned her for money — court records identify her as Janna Larson, Pavatt’s daughter, and it was Pavatt who sought money from Mexico.]
Rick Nunley
Witness
Trial witness. Former extramarital partner of Brenda Andrew.
Rick Nunley was, according to the episode, the husband of one of Brenda’s friends and the first of her extramarital partners; the affair lasted about a year and the two reportedly stayed in phone contact afterward. At Brenda’s 2004 trial the prosecution called him as a witness and elicited detailed, salacious testimony about his sexual history with her — testimony the defense and later courts argued was irrelevant (the relationship had ended years earlier) and served mainly to paint Brenda as sexually deviant.
James Higgins
Witness
Trial witness. Former extramarital partner of Brenda Andrew.
James Higgins was a married man who worked at a shop Brenda frequented; per the episode, their affair lasted roughly two years before ending in 2001. At trial the prosecution called him as one of its first witnesses and questioned him at length about the specifics of their sexual encounters (“was it always the same motel,” etc.). According to the State’s own evidence the relationship had ended more than six months before the murder; the U.S. Supreme Court later cited this testimony as part of the prejudicial ‘sex-shaming’ presentation.
Tricity Andrew
Family Member
Daughter of Rob and Brenda Andrew (b. 1990).
Tricity Andrew was Rob and Brenda’s first child, born December 23, 1990. Per the episode, Rob chose the name because he could imagine his daughter “doing anything in this world, even running for office.” She and her younger brother were the children Rob came to collect for Thanksgiving the day he was killed, and they were taken to Mexico during their mother’s flight. [Child’s name per the podcast/true-crime accounts — worth confirming against primary records.]
Parker Andrew
Family Member
Son of Rob and Brenda Andrew (b. c. 1994–95).
Parker Andrew was Rob and Brenda’s second child, born about four years after his sister (c. 1994–95). He was a young child at the time of his father’s murder and was taken to Mexico during his mother and Pavatt’s flight. [Child’s name/details per the podcast/true-crime accounts — confirm against primary records.]
Suk Hui Pavatt
Other
Ex-wife of James Pavatt (divorced Sept. 6, 2001).
Suk Hui Pavatt was James Pavatt’s wife. As his relationship with Brenda Andrew intensified, Pavatt filed for divorce; per the episode it was granted on September 6, 2001 — weeks before Rob Andrew’s murder. [Details from the episode script; spelling and the divorce date warrant confirmation against Oklahoma County court records.]
Barbara ‘Barb’ Mercer-Green
Associate
Friend and former co-worker of Rob Andrew; secondary source on the marriage.
Barbara “Barb” Mercer-Green was a friend and former co-worker of Rob Andrew in Texas, where the couple lived early in their marriage; she worked across the hall from him. Rob confided in her about his marital troubles, and she later gave an interview to The Daily Oklahoman recounting episodes from the marriage — including her claim that Brenda told Rob on their wedding night that she hated him, and an incident in which Brenda dumped a plate of spaghetti in Rob’s lap. She is a secondary source for the marriage’s backstory rather than a witness to the crime.
Det. Mike Kilka (OCPD)
Detective / Law Enforcement
Oklahoma City Police homicide detective who warned Rob about the brake line and his safety (name per the episode, unverified).
A homicide detective with the Oklahoma City Police Department who, per the episode, spoke with Rob Andrew about the cut brake line before the murder. Rob reportedly told him he believed his estranged wife and her boyfriend were responsible; the detective’s advice was blunt — never be around them unescorted — advice Rob did not follow. [The podcast names him ‘Det. Mike Kilka’; the spelling is from the audio and is unverified — confirm against OCPD/court records before publishing.]
Judge Arlene Johnson
Other
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals judge — dissented on the gendered evidence.
Arlene Johnson was a judge of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals who dissented from the court’s affirmance of Brenda Andrew’s conviction and sentence. She wrote that the prosecution’s arguments and testimony served “no other purpose other than to hammer home that Brenda Andrew is a bad wife, a bad mother, and a bad woman,” and that the effect “was to trivialize the value of her life in the minds of the jurors.” Her dissent later figured prominently in the U.S. Supreme Court’s review.
Judge Robert Bacharach
Other
U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals judge — dissented on the gendered evidence.
Robert Bacharach is a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit who dissented when that court denied Brenda Andrew federal habeas relief. He wrote that, by dwelling on her sex life, the prosecution “portrayed Ms. Andrew as a scarlet woman, a modern Jezebel, sparking distrust based on her loose morals,” and that beginning and ending the trial with evidence of her infidelity had “an outsized effect due to [its] temporal proximity to jury deliberations.” His dissent helped frame the question the Supreme Court took up in Andrew v. White.
Oklahoma County D.A.’s Office (Prosecution)
Other
Oklahoma County prosecution; sought and obtained two death sentences.
The Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office (under DA Wes Lane at the time of the 2003–2004 trials) prosecuted both Pavatt and Andrew and sought the death penalty for each. In Brenda’s case the prosecution’s presentation became the central appellate issue: prosecutors called former sexual partners as early witnesses, questioned multiple witnesses about her clothing and demeanor, read Rob’s journal entries about a college-era relationship, displayed underwear from her suitcase while asking whether a “grieving widow” would pack such items, and called her a “slut puppy” shortly before deliberations. The State later conceded much of this evidence was irrelevant. [Specific lead trial-prosecutor names are not confirmed here — verify against the trial record before publishing.]
M. William Phelps
Other
True-crime author/journalist who chronicled the case.
M. William Phelps is a true-crime author and journalist who chronicled the Andrew–Pavatt case. The episode quotes his memorable line about Pavatt falling for Brenda: “He jumped in, hook, line, and fishnet stockings.” He is cited here as a secondary chronicler of the case rather than a participant.
Section V · The Evidence Locker

Clippings & Exhibits

Click any exhibit to open the original scan.

Physical Evidence
Physical Evidence · 2001-11-20
The murder weapon — shotgun
The shotgun used to kill Rob Andrew in the garage of the family home. Prosecutors said Rob was shot twice with it; the State argued one shot came from Pavatt and one from Brenda, while Pavatt confessed to firing and said Brenda was not involved. The fatal wound(s) were inflicted at close range as Rob bent to light the furnace pilot.
Physical Evidence
Physical Evidence · 2001-11-20
.22 caliber pistol (Brenda’s wound)
A .22 caliber pistol used to shoot Brenda once in the arm. The defense framed this as proof she was also a victim of intruders; the State argued the wound was self-inflicted/staged, citing a witness who said powder burns on her shirt and skin showed the shot was fired at close range.
Physical Evidence
Physical Evidence · 2001
.22 shell casing found in a borrowed car
A spent shell casing that Janna Larson (Pavatt’s daughter) found in her car after her father borrowed it. He told her to throw it away; she instead turned it over to police. A key link tying Pavatt to the crime.
Document
Document · 1996
$800,000 life-insurance policy on Rob Andrew
The life-insurance policy James Pavatt — a licensed agent — sold Rob Andrew in 1996. The roughly $800,000 payout was the State’s motive. (Some news outlets have loosely described it as a ‘million-dollar’ policy; court records reference $800,000.)
Document
Document · 2001
Forged beneficiary/ownership-change document
A document that purportedly made Brenda the owner/beneficiary of Rob’s policy. A handwriting expert testified Rob did not actually sign it — the signature lacked features typical of his hand, including the small Christian ‘fish’ (ichthys) symbol he had begun adding to every signature around that time. When Rob tried to remove Brenda as beneficiary, Pavatt told him he couldn’t because Brenda owned the policy; Rob’s own recollection and Pavatt’s manager said otherwise.
Physical Evidence
Physical Evidence · 2001-10
Cut brake line on Rob’s car + hoax hospital call
About 20 days after Brenda filed for divorce (early–mid Nov 2001), Rob found his brake line cut. He then got a call from a supposed doctor saying his wife had been in an accident and to rush to the hospital; suspicious, Rob phoned the hospital, learned she was not there, and called 911. The State presented this as a failed first murder attempt.
Other
Other · 2004
Brenda’s suitcase & underwear (trial exhibit)
During the guilt-phase closing argument, prosecutors opened a suitcase Brenda took to Mexico, held up several pairs of her underwear, and asked whether a ‘grieving widow’ would pack ‘this,’ then called her a ‘slut puppy.’ This exhibit and its use became the centerpiece of her later Supreme Court appeal (Andrew v. White) on ‘sex-shaming’/due-process grounds.
Portrait / Mugshot
Portrait / Mugshot · 2001
Portrait of Rob Andrew
Photographs of the victim are available via his obituary and memorial. Source (to add image): Find A Grave memorial #41582166 — https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41582166/robert_dale-andrew ; Oklahoman obituary — https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/oklahoman/name/rob-andrew-obituary?id=29449261
Portrait / Mugshot · 2002
Booking/mugshots — Brenda Andrew & James Pavatt
Mugshots and arrest/trial photos are public record via the Oklahoma DOC and contemporaneous press. Sources (to add images): Murderpedia — https://murderpedia.org/female.A/a/andrew-brenda.htm ; Oklahoma DOC offender lookup (Pavatt #455677) — https://okoffender.doc.ok.gov/ ; advocacy portrait of Brenda — https://www.savebrendaandrew.org/theportrait Scan on file: brenda-pavatt-escort.jpg — Brenda Andrew and James Pavatt escorted at the Oklahoma County courthouse (contemporaneous press photo).
Newspaper Clipping
Newspaper Clipping · 2001–2026
Newspaper & press coverage clippings
Contemporaneous and modern coverage to scan/embed. The Oklahoman/Daily Oklahoman trial coverage (oklahoman.com); New York Times, Adam Liptak, Apr 1, 2024 — https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/01/us/supreme-court-death-penalty-sex-shaming.html ; CBS News (SCOTUS) — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-brenda-andrew-oklahoma-death-row-new-hearing/ ; Oxygen, ‘The Sunday School Killers’ — https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/Brenda-Andrew-and-James-Pavatt-The-Sunday-School-Killers
Section VI

Verdict, Appeal & Aftermath

VERDICTS & SENTENCES

Tried separately, both defendants were convicted of FIRST-DEGREE MURDER and CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MURDER. James Pavatt was convicted and sentenced to DEATH in 2003 (plus 10 years on the conspiracy count). Brenda Andrew was convicted and sentenced to DEATH on September 22, 2004, becoming the only woman on Oklahoma’s death row — a status she still holds.

PAVATT’S APPEALS: The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed (Pavatt v. State, 2007). In June 2017 a Tenth Circuit panel vacated his death sentence (questioning the ‘heinous, atrocious or cruel’ aggravator), but the en banc Tenth Circuit reinstated it, holding the challenge procedurally barred. The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari on January 27, 2020. He remains on death row at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary; an execution date once set has not been carried out.

ANDREW’S APPEALS — A LANDMARK: The OCCA affirmed (with Judge Arlene Johnson dissenting on the gendered evidence). Federal courts denied habeas relief; the Tenth Circuit affirmed 2–1 in 2023, with Judge Robert Bacharach dissenting that prosecutors had cast her as ‘a scarlet woman, a modern Jezebel.’ On JANUARY 21, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Andrew v. White, 604 U.S. 86 — a 7–2 per curiam ruling (Alito concurring; Thomas dissenting, joined by Gorsuch). The Court held that clearly established federal law (rooted in Payne v. Tennessee) forbids evidence so unduly prejudicial that it renders a trial fundamentally unfair, and VACATED and REMANDED the Tenth Circuit’s judgment to apply that standard to the ‘sex-shaming’ evidence (the underwear display, the ‘slut puppy’ remark, the former lovers’ testimony, the ‘bad mother’ questioning, and Rob’s journal about a college relationship).

ON REMAND (2025–2026): Andrew filed a supplemental brief (Apr 7, 2025). On JANUARY 13, 2026, a Tenth Circuit panel again DENIED relief, holding her trial was not fundamentally unfair — a ruling her lawyers say ignored most of the prejudicial evidence and the Supreme Court’s instructions. On APRIL 27, 2026, her counsel filed a PETITION FOR REHEARING (and rehearing en banc) citing ‘rampant gender bias.’ That petition is PENDING as of June 2026.

RELATED DEVELOPMENTS

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has urged the U.S. not to execute Andrew while it reviews her case. Her advocates note that DNA testing has since undercut the State’s blood-spatter claim. She continues to maintain her innocence.

CORRECTION TO THE EPISODE

The podcast’s statement that Brenda ‘will be the 4th woman executed in Oklahoma’ has not come to pass; the 2025 Supreme Court ruling reopened her appeal, which remains active.

Loose Threads

What We Still Don't Know

Also in the File

Additional Notes

Research: Images, Clippings & Coverage to Add

Images and clippings to add to this file (the case has no scans on disk yet). I located public sources below; because of tooling limits I can’t auto-embed binary images, so add them in the app (drag-and-drop embeds them as data URIs) or hand them to the Section 29 build.

PHOTOS OF PEOPLE • Rob Andrew (victim): Find A Grave memorial #41582166 — https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41582166/robert_dale-andrew ; Oklahoman obituary — https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/oklahoman/name/rob-andrew-obituary?id=29449261 • Brenda Andrew: advocacy portrait — https://www.savebrendaandrew.org/theportrait and /about-brenda ; Murderpedia photo set — https://murderpedia.org/female.A/a/andrew-brenda.htm • Brenda & James mugshots: Oklahoma DOC offender lookup (Pavatt #455677) — https://okoffender.doc.ok.gov/ ; press/trial photos via The Oklahoman and KFOR.

NEWSPAPER & FEATURE COVERAGE • New York Times (Adam Liptak), Apr 1, 2024 — https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/01/us/supreme-court-death-penalty-sex-shaming.html • CBS News (SCOTUS grants hearing) — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-brenda-andrew-oklahoma-death-row-new-hearing/ • NBC News — https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-female-oklahoma-death-row-inmate-s*x-shaming-claim-rcna188532 (fix the URL ‘*’) • Oxygen, ‘The Sunday School Killers’ — https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/Brenda-Andrew-and-James-Pavatt-The-Sunday-School-Killers • KFOR (Oklahoma City) case coverage — https://kfor.com/ (search ‘Brenda Andrew’) • Forensic Files Now (2026 update) — https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/2026/01/23/brenda-andrew-sunday-school-killer-revisited/

PRIMARY / LEGAL DOCUMENTS • U.S. Supreme Court opinion, Andrew v. White (Jan 21, 2025) — https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-6573_m647.pdf • SCOTUS docket 23-6573 — https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/DocketFiles/html/Public/23-6573.html • Tenth Circuit remand opinion (Jan 13, 2026) — https://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/sites/ca10/files/opinions/010111367362.pdf • Petition for rehearing en banc (Apr 27, 2026) — https://www.savebrendaandrew.org/s/20260426-ECF-243-PFR-EB.pdf • Pavatt v. State (OCCA 2007) — https://law.justia.com/cases/oklahoma/court-of-appeals-criminal/2007/448970.html • Death Penalty Information Center, Brenda Andrew / James Pavatt tags — https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/ • Save Brenda Andrew (running case updates) — https://www.savebrendaandrew.org/updates

Provenance
Imported from ‘Unsolved Oklahoma.docx’.
Show: Okie Investigations
Original label: Episode 2
Source paragraphs: [(112, 188)]

This case began as a podcast script; the full working text is preserved verbatim in the note titled ‘Full Working Text (verbatim from podcast doc).’

BUILD-OUT (2026-06-19): Expanded from a stub (3 people, 0 evidence) into a full case file — 15 people with bios/connections, 10 evidence items, and analytical notes. Facts were verified against court records and reporting (Andrew v. White, 604 U.S. 86 (2025); Pavatt v. State (OCCA 2007); Pavatt v. Royal/Carpenter (10th Cir.); savebrendaandrew.org; CBS/NBC/NYT; Murderpedia; Find A Grave).

ACCURACY NOTE — the episode is dated and contains errors that were corrected here:
• Date of the murder is NOVEMBER 20, 2001 — not 1998 (the stub’s caseNumber/period were wrong and have been fixed). Rob Andrew was 39 (b. Sept 19, 1962).
• Pavatt’s daughter is JANNA LARSON (audio says ‘Janice Carr’). It was Pavatt — not the deceased Rob — who contacted her from Mexico for money; she was cooperating with the FBI.
• The affair that ran to May 2001 was with James HIGGINS (one transcript mislabels it ‘Rick’).
• The episode’s claim that Brenda ‘will be the 4th woman executed in Oklahoma’ did NOT happen — see the Verdict/Appeal/Aftermath note for the 2025 U.S. Supreme Court win and the 2026 status.
• Some names are episode-sourced and still unverified (Det. ‘Mike Kilka’; the children’s names; Suk Hui Pavatt; the exact divorce date) — flagged in the relevant bios and in Research Gaps.
Section VII

The Full Working Text

The complete verbatim podcast script, preserved exactly as recorded.

▶ Read the full episode script (2928 words)

Episode 2: 2: Oklahoma Death Row Stories - Brenda Andrew and James Pavatt

In this episode, we take a look at the stories of Oklahoma Death Row Inmates, Brenda Andrew and James Pavatt. Love can be a crazy thing, greed can be so much worse. We also take another peek into Oklahoma's Darker History when we look at a case back in 1921 where a Bootlegger was murdered by the local KKK.

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Okie Investigations. In this episode we are going to discuss the Murder of Robert Dale Andrews. He was shot with a shotgun while helping his estranged wife Brenda Rose Andrews. Brenda was shot in the arm and called 911. This case ended with two people placed on Death Row. In this episode we will discuss What happened? And Why? Also, many things have happened since the trial, so we will be covering that as well.

But first, if you are a first time listener, to experience this podcast to its finest, hit that subscribe button so when we have new episodes, you will be the first to know. Then, head on over to our facebook page. Here we can all discuss the case together and and perhaps come up with our own theories on the many cases that will be featured on this show. You can find us at Facebook.com/okieinvestigations

For this weeks episode, I scoured the local shop near me for one of my favorite drinks Flavored Coffee. Since quarantine, I have been on a world wide trip from home, drinking different coffees from around the globe. I didn't have to go fat this week because this is a roasting company here in Oklahoma. This week I have been drinking Higher Grounds Coffee, I chose their southern Pecan flavor. The Pecan flavor is not over powering, its just right and I am going to go through this bag pretty quickly. Simply put, it's amazing. One of the reasons I need Coffee is to keep me sharp for my research. Higher Grounds does the job in a Delicious way. If you want to give them a try, go to hgokc.com and order from their website. Big thank you to the fine folks there at Higher Grounds Coffee Company.

Before we get started I wanted to say a few things about the show. I wanted to say thank you to all of you that have had such wonderful things to say about the show. I received some really good constructive criticism and I am working on making improvements with each and every episode. I am not perfect at this but I strive to be better. I was amazed at the response that everyone gave on the Facebook page as well. The Missing Poster we posted for Fawn and Rozlin Abell went Okie Viral and has been seen by thousands upon thousands of people, in and out of Oklahoma.

When I started this show, I knew I had to cover this case. I was a young adult when this murder happened and it was all over our local news. As more and more details came out on this one you had to stand back and wonder, why no one stepped in before it came to all of this. But, I’m not going to spoil it for you all, let's get to it.

To completely understand this story, you need to start way back when Brenda was just a child growing up in Enid Oklahoma. Brenda Evers was born on December 16th 1963. By all accounts, Brenda was a good child, earned good grades and went to church. In Jr. High Brenda became interested in Baton Twirling and cheering on their school football team to victory.

In her Senior Year, Brenda met Rob Andrew though his younger brother who she was friends with. Rob attended Oklahoma State University The two quickly because smitten with each other. To quote the princess bride… Isn't that a wonderful beginning? One of the things that probably helped their relationship is that Enid isn't that far from Stillwater where the OSU Campus is located. The two could make the hour drive pretty regularly. This closeness became even more evident after Brenda graduated High School and was accepted to Southwestern College in Winfield Kansas.

Personally, I’ve been to Winfield several times and I can definitely see the allure to attending school there. Especially if you are not looking for the party scene and more of a quiet town. Winfild is not like most places in Kansas, Yes, they have the large Cattle Farms and fields of wheat. But the Town of Winfield is a cozy place filled with beautiful old houses and elaborate churches that would be a draw for someone like Brenda. But the Move to Winfield added almost another hour to the drive to see one another. With school work and exams to study for, it became all too difficult for Brenda and she decided to move to Stillwater to be closer to Rob.

On May 29th 1984, Brenda and Rob tied the knot. But the honeymoon phase was over just as quickly as it began. Rob’s Friend Barb Mercer-Green stated in a interview conducted by the Daily Oklahoman “Brenda told Rob that she hated him on their wedding night.” Rob’s father reported said “One time we were driving by a motel and Rob casually told me that he found Brenda at the Motel with a former boyfriend after he was engaged to her. I daid Rob, Wake up, but he was quick to look for and believe the best.”

After graduating at Oklahoma State, Rob took a job in Texas and moved him and his new bride. Barb and Rob worked together in the same office. Barb actually worked just across the hall from him. They quickly became friends and Rob would go to Barb from time to time to discuss the problems in his marriage. She stated that she heard a number of stories about Brenda over the years. One such story involved Brenda and Rob were having a family dinner together. Brenda stopped eating and angrily told Rob that she absolutely hated the way he ate. She got up from the table and then dumped a plate of spaghetti in his lap.

On December 23rd 1990 the couple welcomed their first child into the world. Perhaps Rob thought that bringing children into the marriage would be a good way of sorting his marital problems out. Rob named his daughter Tricity. It was said that Rob liked the name because he could see his daughter doing anything in this world, like running for office. Vote for Tricity! But bringing a child into the relationship just placed another person in the middle of an already toxic relationship. Four years later they welcomed their second child Parker to the family.

At the birth of her first child, Brenda became a stay at home Mom. The life that she once had changed very quickly. She went from working in a bank and having work friends to staying home and changing diapers. For some, this would be a welcome change. Motherhood is not an easy job but getting the chance to not only stary a big beautiful family and to have the time to bond and shape the lives of your children can be a wonderful and rewarding experience. But it seems that something was just not right for Brenda.

Shortly after the birth of their children, Rob began going to the church to seek out advice on what he should do to help fix his failing marriage. Brenda was regularly telling Rob that their marriage was a mistake and that she absolutely hated him. Rob However, Did not believe in divorce so he sought out another way to make things better.

Now, I don't know about you. But one way I like to make things better is to have a good laugh and there's no better place for that than with the Highly Illogical Podcast. Each week we talk about nerdy topics like our favorite Sci-Fi Film, Who was the best Star Trek Captain and much much more. Find Highly Illogical wherever Podcasts are available.

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After the birth of their second child, Brenda started changing her style. She started wearing revealing clothing. Brenda probably liked the attention this got her. It was at this point, Brenda decided that she was going to start having an affair. For her first affair, Brenda showed what kind of friend she is by having an affair with her friends husband Rick Nunley. Rick and Brenda carried on for about a year. According to Rick, even after they decided to stop sleeping with each other, they stayed in touch by phone.

During this time, Rob was completely oblivious to what was happening around him. To make matters worse this was just the first of many affairs.

Not to long after the affair with Rick ended, Brenda started flirting with a man who worked at a local shop nearby. Brenda would purposely wear something revealing and wink at James Higgins every time she would come into the store. James, a married man, but all the same, noticed the advances and started flirting back. Not long after, Brenda came into the shop like usuail, they flirted but this time, before she left. She gave James a hotel key and told him to meet her there. This Affair would last for two years. Rob was no longer oblivious to what was happening. One day he came home early and found Brenda and Rick eating Dinner together. Not long after, Rob left Brenda but that didn't last long. Still not believing in Divorce, Rob wanted to work things out with his wife and they got back together. The affair with Rick didn't end and lasted until May of 2001when Brenda set her sights on a bigger fish. Brenda told James she was bored with him and that was that. She moved on.

Now when I say she found a bigger fish, I don't mean someone who was better than Rob, I don't mean someone who was richer or could provide a better life. I mean someone who would do anything to have Brenda.

Now, from what we covered earlier, we know what Rob and Brenda are religious people. Brenda has her faults, she is considered a sinner for many of her actions up to this point. But who are we to judge? Right? In 1999, Rob help found and became a decon at North Pointe Baprist Church. It was durthing this time Rob told his friends “I might look like the old Rob outside, but I’m a brand new person inside” Brenda started teaching Sunday School at their church. Thats when she sets her hooks into fellow Sunday School Teacher, Decon, Life Insurance Agent James Pavatt. At this time, James was also a deeply religious man. He was married but couldn't resist Brenda’s charm. It was said best by Reporter William Phelps. “He jumped in, Hook, line and Fishnet Stockings”. It wasn't long after that the rumors began.

As the relationship between James and Brenda gets heated, James files for Divorce from his wife Suk Hui Pavatt which is granted on September 6th 2001. In the same month, Brenda kicks Rob out of their Oklahoma City home and just a little over a month later on October 3rd 2001 Brenda Andrew filed for Divorce.

20 days after Brenda files for divorce, Rob comes out of his house and notices something leaking from his car. He takes a look and realizes that someone has cut his break line. Then he receives a call, it's from a Doctor in a nearby Hospital. He tells Rob that his wife was in an accident and he needs to hurry. Rob was very suspicious at this point. He decides to call the hospital to see if his wife is actually there. Rob speaks to a receptionist that confirms that she is not there. Rob then quickly hangs up and dials 911.

--- Play 911 call---

Now, you might be asking yourself… what would James and Brenda stand to gain if they killed Rob? Well, 800,000 dollars might be a pretty good motive to commit murder. I mentioned earlier that James was an insurance agent. He was no stranger to the Andrew clan and in 1996, James sold Rob an 800 thousand dollar insurance policy. Now, it seemed to Rob, they were trying to collect.

Det. Mike Kilka reportedly spoke to Rob about the break lines. “Mr. Andrew told me he was going through a difficult separation pending divorce and he felt his wife and her boyfriend were responsible”. The advice that the Detective gave Rob was simple and to the point. Do not be around his soon to be ex wife or her boyfriend unescorted. This was very important advice that Rob did not follow. Rob also confessed to friends his suspicions and they too gave him very similar advice. But Rob still thought there was hope for saving his marriage. If he just tried harder, he would have his family back.

Now, Im going to stress something here. I’m in no way victim blaming Rob here. Personally, Ive been there. Love can do crazy things to a person, it can make you lose sight to whats important. Common sense goes out the window at this point. So I do want to point something out here that Rob did oh so right. Rob wasnt stupid to what was going on around him. He went to James, the person who wrote his insurance policy, and asked to remove Brenda as his beneficiary from the policy. James told him no, he couldn't because Brenda was the person who owned the policy, so he couldn't make that change. But Rob remembered it all differently. He was the owner of the policy.

So Rob did what I would have done, he called James’s manager and asked about the policy. Rob was reassured that he was the owner of the policy and that he could make the change if he wanted to. Now, even more suspicious, Rob told James’s boss that he thought that James was trying to kill him to collect on the policy with his estranged wife. This sent James into a rage and he soon confronted Rob and told him to never speak to his manager.

The fact of the matter is, James and Brenda were already schemeing to get the life insurance policy into Brenda’s control. They had forged a document naming Brenda as the owner of the policy. A handwriting expert would later go on to say it was obvious that Rob did not actually sign this document. The signature was missing many features that Rob’s typical signature had.

Now, it's near Thanksgiving and it's Rob’s turn to have the kids. Rob was on his way to pick them up and while he was on his way, he was talking to a friend on the phone. According to the friend. Rob was excited to have the kids for the holiday. When he got to Brenda’s house he told his friend he had to go, that Brenda wanted something. This would be the last time anyone would hear from Rob again.

Brenda asked if Rob could light the pilot light in the garage. Rob, being a kind person, agreed. As he bent over, he heard someone approaching, he turned around to see James approaching with a shotgun. Rob grabbed what was nearest to himself and shielded himself with it but it was just a bad of cans. James shot Rob without a second thought. Then he gave Brenda the shotgun and she shot Rob again. The second shot was the one that killed Rob. Then, as apart of their plan. James shot Brenda in the arm with a .22 caliber pistol at point blank range.

---- play the audio 911 call----

Brenda tried to trick the police but they made many missteps along the way. James had borrowed his daughter Janna’s car. When he returned it, she found a bullet casing inside. She called her father and asked about it, he told her to shrow it away. She didn't, she turned it over to the police.

On the day of Rob’s funeral. Instead of attending, Brenda, her two children and James fled to Mexico. Rob, still believing Janna was on his side, would call his daughter asking her to send some money. But at this time she was cooperating with the FBI and all of this was going to be used as evidence for the trial.

February the next year, Brenda and James gave up. They reentered the united states and were debt back to Oklahoma City to face trial. They both pled not guilty but it didn't help, They were both found guilty and both were sentenced to death.

Since the trial, Brenda has appealed and appealed the decision with no change in her situation. According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, only 3 women have been put to death in Oklahoma’s history. Brenda will be its 4th.

Jame’s almost got off Death Row. In 2017 a three judge federal appeals court overturned the death sentence for James. But then the full 13 Judge court decided to uphold the convection.

Join us next Sunday as we once again delve into the darker corners of the Okie State. Make sure you Subscribe so that when we do have new episodes, you will be the first to know. See ya.

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