Current:Home > InvestOklahoma prepares to execute man for 2002 double slaying-LoTradeCoin
Oklahoma prepares to execute man for 2002 double slaying
View Date:2024-12-23 21:23:35
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma is preparing to execute a man for shooting and killing two people in Oklahoma City more than two decades ago.
Michael Dewayne Smith, 41, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Thursday after his conviction and death sentence for the slayings of Janet Moore, 41, and Sharath Pulluru, 22, in separate shootings in February 2002.
Smith would be the first person executed in Oklahoma this year and the twelfth inmate put to death since the state resumed executions in 2021 following a nearly seven-year hiatus resulting from problems with executions in 2014 and 2015.
During a clemency hearing last month, Smith expressed his “deepest apologies and deepest sorrows to the families” of the victims, but denied that he was responsible.
“I didn’t commit these crimes. I didn’t kill these people,” Smith said, occasionally breaking into tears during his 15-minute address to the board, which denied him clemency in a 4-1 vote. “I was high on drugs. I don’t even remember getting arrested.”
Prosecutors say Smith was a ruthless gang member who killed both victims in misguided acts of revenge and confessed his involvement in the killings to police and two other people. They claim he killed Moore because he was looking for her son, who he mistakenly thought had told police about his whereabouts. Later that day, prosecutors say Smith killed Pulluru, a convenience store clerk who Smith believed had disrespected his gang during an interview with a newspaper reporter.
Smith’s attorney, Mark Henricksen, argued that Smith is intellectually disabled, a condition worsened by years of heavy drug use, and that his life should be spared and he should be allowed to spend the rest of his life in prison. Henricksen said Smith was in a PCP-induced haze when he confessed to police and that key elements of his confession aren’t supported by facts.
veryGood! (32346)
Related
- Harriet Tubman posthumously honored as general in Veterans Day ceremony: 'Long overdue'
- Did 'The Simpsons' predict NC State-Duke Elite Eight March Madness game?
- Vanderpump Rules’ Rachel “Raquel” Leviss Is One Year Sober Amid Mental Health Journey
- Kylie Kelce Weighs in on Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s “Amazing” Relationship
- Minnesota man is free after 16 years in prison for murder that prosecutors say he didn’t commit
- Jennifer Garner mourns death of father William John Garner in emotional tribute
- Alex Murdaugh sentenced to 40 years in federal prison. 'Extensive, brazen and callous.'
- The Malmö Oat Milkers are MiLB’s newest team: What to know about the Sweden-based baseball team
- Melissa Gilbert recalls 'painful' final moment with 'Little House' co-star Michael Landon
- Tennessee fires women's basketball coach Kellie Harper week after NCAA Tournament ouster
Ranking
- Father sought in Amber Alert killed by officer, daughter unharmed after police chase in Ohio
- Former NFL Star Vontae Davis Dead at 35
- The story of how transgender runner Cal Calamia took on the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and won
- Powerball jackpot nears $1 billion as drawing for giant prize nears
- As Northeast wildfires keep igniting, is there a drought-buster in sight?
- House fire in Boston kills 1, injures several others and damages multiple buildings
- Watch as helicopter plucks runaway horse from mud after it got stuck near Santa Ana River
- 2024 White House Easter Egg Roll: Watch activities from White House's South Lawn
Recommendation
-
Shawn Mendes Confesses He and Camila Cabello Are No Longer the Closest
-
Purdue's return to Final Four brings tears of joy from those closest to program.
-
1 killed, 7 hurt after Nashville coffee shop shooting on Easter, gunman remains at large
-
Drake Bell Shares How Josh Peck Helped Him After Quiet On Set
-
Roy Haynes, Grammy-winning jazz drummer, dies at 99: Reports
-
Mississippi Republicans to choose opponent for longtime Democratic congressman
-
MLB power rankings: Yankees, Brewers rise after vengeful sweeps
-
South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso declares for WNBA draft