Man convicted in 1998 stabbing of horse trainer executed in Oklahoma

MCALESTER, Okla. – Oklahoma has executed a man convicted in the 1998 stabbing death of a horse trainer.

Johnny Dale Black was put to death Tuesday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester for fatally stabbing Bill Pogue in an attack near the southern Oklahoma town of Ringling. The attack left Pogue with 11 stab wounds, broken ribs and two punctured lungs.

At a hearing last month before the state Pardon and Parole Board, Black apologized for his actions but insisted he and his brother mistook Pogue and Pogue’s son-in-law for someone else they were looking for.

Black asked forgiveness from Pogue’s relatives and his own family members in attendance.

Black’s execution makes him the second inmate put to death by the state in two weeks and the sixth executed in 2013.