In May of 1926 Thomas Murray committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell with a bed sheet. Kelley and Willos shot no one or even at anyone. After more than two years of appeals and the cancellation of two previously scheduled hangings, Kelley and Willos were executed on the morning of April 20, 1928. The attorney for Willos claimed that his client had become insane while his case was being appealed. Before his execution he was examined by physicians and declared sane.
Newspaper accounts report that the execution was witnessed by approximately fifty spectators.
In the aftermath of the escape rancher C. L. Newman promptly sought justice by appealing for financial compensation from the state for his losses. Mr. Newman petitioned by letter to Secretary of State Sam Kozer for payment of his expenses. The escape proved to be an embarrassment to the governor and cost the warden his job. Governor Pierce soon appointed a commission to investigate the conditions at the Oregon State Penitentiary that allowed the break to occur. The commission recommended that a new guard tower be placed in front of the administration building since that section could not be seen from existing vantage points.