The killer, James Allen Coddington (March 22, 1972 – August 25, 2022), was charged and convicted of the murder, and sentenced to death in 2003.

After exhausting all his appeals (which ended in failure) and losing his clemency plea, Coddington, whose death sentence was overturned in 2006 before it was restored in 2008, was executed via lethal injection on August 25, 2022.

Coddington would later go on to rob at least six separate gas stations and convenience stores before he was finally arrested for the killing of Hale.

After hearing all the evidence, on June 16, 2008, the jury of seven men and five women deliberated for more than four hours before they returned with their verdict, once again recommending the death penalty for Coddington, a decision which Hale's son Mitch described as a sign of justice for his late father.

[2] On June 8, 2021, The Oklahoman reported that Coddington lost his final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which effectively made him eligible to be executed on a date to be determined.

[30][31] Evidence adduced during his clemency hearing showed that Coddington maintained a clean disciplinary record during his incarceration on death row, and he not only tried staying away from drugs but also studied and earned his GED, which the parole board noted were immense efforts done by Coddington to rehabilitate himself.

[32] On August 3, 2022, three weeks before he was to be executed, the parole board, by a majority vote of 3–2, recommended that Coddington should receive clemency from the governor.

[33][34] If the recommendation was accepted by the Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt, Coddington's death sentence would be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

[37][38][39] On August 25, 2022, 50-year-old James Allen Coddington was formally put to death via lethal injection at Oklahoma State Penitentiary.

[40][41] Before he was executed, Coddington, who was pronounced dead at 10.16am, was allowed to say his final words: "To all my family and friends, lawyers, everyone who’s been around me and loved me, thank you.