On February 5, 2025, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board denied clemency by a vote of 4-1 for Wendell A. Grissom for the murder of Amber Matthews and the shooting of Dreu Kopf. After a jury trial in 2008, a unanimous Blaine County jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death.
In November 2005, Grissom invaded the home of Dreu and Matt Kopf near Hitchcock, Oklahoma. Dreu was home with their two young daughters, Rylee, who was under two years old, Gracie, an infant, and Dreu’s best friend, Amber Matthews.
Wendell Grissom shot through the patio door, invading the Kopf’s home. He then shot Dreu in her left wrist, while Amber ran to Rylee’s room with Gracie. As Dreu begged him to stop, reminding him there were children in the house, Grissom laughed and stuck the gun in her face. She was able to grab the gun but was shot again in her left hand, with the bullet traveling through her hand, through her shoulder, and into her head where it lodged behind her ear. As he continued laughing, he fired once more, shooting her in the left hip. Dreu recalled, “…he was just laughing and he just kept shooting and shooting and laughing.”
Grissom then turned his attention to Amber Matthews. He tracked her to Rylee’s room, where she was attempting to shield the small children from his violent attack. Amber screamed, “Please don’t shoot me.” Grissom shot Amber in the back of her head while she was holding Gracie and Rylee was nearby in the crib. He proceeded to shoot Amber again, at close range, in the forehead as she lay on the floor. Dreu escaped to get help, believing Amber and her children were dead.
Authorities would later find Amber alive and gasping for air, while Gracie lay next to her, covered in blood and vomit. Rylee was screaming in her crib, also covered in blood. Amber was flown to an Oklahoma City hospital but did not survive.
“While their pain and loss will never go away, I am relieved the Matthews and Kopf families are one step closer to the end of this over nineteen-year process. The devastation Grissom caused these two families is unimaginable, but it was amazing to see their resilience at the clemency hearing today. I hope and pray they can find peace and healing,” said District Attorney Tommy Humphries.
Grissom’s execution is scheduled for March 20, 2025.
