  Excited states in $^{14}$O have been investigated both experimentally and
theoretically. Experimentally, these states were produced via neutron-knockout
reactions with a fast $^{15}$O beam and the invariant-mass technique was
employed to isolate the 1$p$ and 2$p$ decay channels and determine their
branching ratios. The spectrum of excited states was also calculated with the
Shell Model Embedded in the Continuum that treats bound and scattering states
in a unified model. By comparing energies, widths and decay branching patterns,
spin and parity assignments for all experimentally observed levels below 8 MeV
are made. This includes the location of the second 2$^{+}$ state that we find
is in near degeneracy with the third 0$^{+}$ state. An interesting case of
sequential 2$p$ decay through a pair of degenerate $^{13}$N excited states with
opposite parities was found where the interference between the two sequential
decay pathways produces an unusual relative-angle distribution between the
emitted protons.
