Convicted killer Cathy Lamb inches closer to freedom after 33 years in prison

Cathy Lamb, now 72, is serving a life sentence without parole for a 1991 murder.

She went before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board (PPB) Tuesday morning, asking for a second chance at freedom after over three decades behind bars.

A jury convicted Lamb of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 23-year-old Darrell Lovell in 1991. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole (LWOP). For 33 years, she has been incarcerated at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center.

After making her case, the PPB recommended reducing her punishment to a life sentence. If the governor agrees, she will be eligible for parole in 2025.

What Happened the Night of the Crime?

On April 27, 1991, Cathy Lamb and her boyfriend, Chris Neilson, went to the ‘Why Not Bar’ in Bokoshe, Oklahoma. Her boyfriend, Neilson, got into a fight with another bar patron and suffered a blow to the head. As the couple left the bar, Nielson bleeding, and a group of men following close behind, Lamb claims she feared the men would overpower her boyfriend.

According to the investigative report from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC), Lamb pulled a gun from her purse and fired a shot into the air as a deterrent. A crowd across the street from the bar began laughing, which Neilson assumed was directed at them. A heated argument ensued, between Neilson and the bystanders, as she tried to load him into the truck. At that point, Lamb claimed she fired another gunshot into the air as a scare tactic, but it didn’t work. When she turned around, Darrell Lovell was blocking her way. Lamb told the DOC investigator she asked Lovell to let them leave without any trouble, but he shoved her in the face. Lamb claims she fell into the side of the truck with her gun still in hand and it discharged, according to her version of events found in the DOC report. The state depicted a different scene during her trial; five witnesses testified Lamb deliberately aimed her gun at Lovell and fired from four feet away. She has never denied pulling the trigger but insists it was an act of self-defense because she was “scared to death” in the moment.

Why Is Cathy Lamb Asking for Commutation?

Lamb entered prison in November 1991, at the age of 39, with no prior criminal record. Although prosecutors offered her a plea deal, a 25-year sentence, her attorney declined the offer ahead of trial. Lamb was a mother and divorcee, leaving her husband after 20 years of mental and physical abuse. She had steady employment at the time of the crime and no documented violent behavior. Incarcerated for 33 years, Lamb has maintained a spotless disciplinary record and completed several rehabilitation programs including Partners in Parenting, Victims Impact, Women in Transition, Celebrate Recovery, Cage Your Rage, Stress Management and Rational Thinking. DOC instructors call her a “model inmate” with several writing letters to the PPB on her behalf.

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According to her application for commutation, which earned unanimous support from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board (PPB) in a Stage 1 Commutation Review, Lamb serves as a church leader and mentor to inmates. She is currently wheelchair-bound and in need of another spinal surgery. The application also suggests due to Lamb’s declining health “she is not a threat to society.” Her attorney, Morgan Hale, with Project Commutation believes the punishment does not fit the crime, saying:

“I think Ms. Lamb is an excellent candidate for commutation. The District Attorney who tried her case is in support of her release and has long felt she was oversentenced. Ms. Lamb has done remarkably well in DOC and will have ample support upon release. I am confident in the Pardon and Parole Board's ability to decide her case and have faith the Governor will follow any recommendation put forth by the board.”

What is Project Commutation?

Project Commutation advocates for Oklahomans serving excessive prison sentences by providing free representation for Parole and Commutation. The nonprofit also offers community reentry post incarceration including housing, basic needs, employment, counseling, obtaining and more.

More information about the organization can be found here: https://www.projectcommutation.org/

What Does Cathy Lamb Say About Her Past?

“I am not writing this letter to try to excuse my actions that took a man’s life. | am asking for mercy, perhaps a little compassion and the opportunity to try to convey my thoughts… “

In a letter prepared for the board, Lamb writes in part:

“I was not a criminal out committing a crime that created a situation and had tragic result. The situation was created for me through the actions of other individuals. The fact that I shot and killed a man will haunt me for the rest of my life. Whether in prison or not, I will live with the soul-sickening knowledge for the rest of my life that my hand took a life. This is a devastating and daily grief. I will have to live the rest of my life knowing that I not only caused the Lovell family so much pain and sorrow, but also my own family. The real prison is the heartache and mental anguish I live with day and night. Knowing I can never give back the life I took nor repair the damage that I caused so many others.”

She also took full responsibility for her role in the crime :

“Since I have been in prison, I have worked hard trying to give something back to society.   I take full responsibility for my actions. I would sell my soul if it would erase the sorrow and heartache the family has suffered because of the death of their son.

There are no words to describe the depth of how sorry I am for the crime and sin I committed. Perhaps, some can take comfort in knowing that I have absolutely no hope of ever being released from the shame and guilt that I live with and will continue to live with for the rest of my life.”

Why is the Le Flore County District Attorney who prosecuted Lamb’s case in favor of an early release?

In a November 1998 letter, then-Le Flore County District Attorney Mike Sullivan wrote to the governor that he did not think justice was served in Lamb's case. Sullivan said Lamb's sentence "was too harsh."

Lamb, an inmate at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in Oklahoma City, told the parole board she was "scared to death" the night she pulled a gun from her purse. She carried the gun as protection because her job often took her out of state, she said.

In 1998, the LeFlore County District Attorney who prosecuted her case sent a letter to the governor. Mike Sullivan made his regrets known stating Lamb’s sentence “was too harsh”

He also compared Lamb’s case to 40 other homicides filed by his office, “In all those cases, except one, whether they were settled or tried to a jury, I believe that justice was served, and the sentence was fair. However, in the case of State of Oklahoma -vs- Cathy Lamb, I do not believe justice was served and the sentence was too harsh.”

More recently, Sullivan publicly stated that he fully prosecuted Lamb and “might have even tried a little harder because of her attorney’s attitude” when the state offered a plea deal. He’s described it as nonchalant and dismissive.

In a 2024 national radio interview, he added that he often considered it self-defense: “She was a small woman, and he was a big guy. If I had been on the other side, the jury would have heard a whole lot about that, I'm telling you.” 

How Does the Victim’s Family Feel?

The victim’s family and friends strongly oppose Lamb’s release. They spoke before the PPB on Monday, urging them to deny her request. Lovell’s loved ones also posted their frustrations to social media ahead of the commutation hearing.

One post read, “ Counting the trial, this is the 4th time trying to commute her sentence after being found guilty on each try. This is so wrong that our family must continue to fight to keep this murderer in prison where she belongs.”

Lovell’s son was announced as the family spokesperson with a social media post stating in part “ No child should ever have to go through this! There were a lot of witnesses.”

In 2000, citing unusual circumstances in the case, the PPB voted 3-2 to reduce Lamb's sentence and make her eligible for parole in 2006. Gov. Frank Keating rejected the board’s recommendation. 

What Happens Next?

With the PPB’s recommendation, Lamb’s case will head to Governor Kevin Stitt’s desk for a final decision and will rest with the governor.