McAlester, Oklahoma: The state of Oklahoma carried out its first execution of the year, putting to death a 41-year-old man for the shooting deaths of two individuals, including an Indian national in 2002. Michael Dewayne Smith was executed via lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, as confirmed by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
Smith had been on death row for the murders of Indian store clerk Sharath Pulluru, 24, and Janet Moore, 40, in separate incidents on February 22, 2002. After the execution, Drummond expressed gratitude that justice had been served and hoped that it would bring some peace to the families of the victims. He acknowledged the pain and suffering endured by the loved ones of Moore and Pulluru over the past 22 years.
Describing the victims, Drummond emphasized that Sharath Pulluru was a bright young man with a generous spirit and Janet Moore was a good person who did not deserve their fate. Smith’s murders were committed when he was 19, while he was already on the run for a previous murder. He becomes the 12th person executed in Oklahoma since the state resumed carrying out death penalties in 2021.
The Pulluru family mourned the loss of Sharath and expressed their gratitude for the justice served. Similarly, Moore’s family released a statement acknowledging the long road to justice and the impact of their loss on future generations. Smith, before his execution, demanded his attorney to fight for his life despite no further appeals being filed on his behalf.
Oklahoma had previously halted executions in 2017 due to botched procedures during high-profile cases. However, the state resumed executions in 2021, planning to execute 25 prisoners whose appeals are exhausted within three years. Oklahoma holds the record for the highest number of executions per capita in the United States, with 122 people executed since 1976.
The state’s commitment to carrying out executions remains strong, with a significant number of inmates on death row facing imminent capital punishment. The rigorous process of appeals and legal proceedings reflects the complexities and controversies surrounding the death penalty in Oklahoma and the United States as a whole.