McAlester, Oklahoma – A man convicted of a double murder in Oklahoma City more than two decades ago was executed on Thursday morning. Michael Dewayne Smith, 41, received a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m., according to Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesperson Lance West.
Smith was sentenced to die for the shooting deaths of Janet Moore, 41, and Sharath Pulluru, 22, in February 2002. These killings marked a tragic end to the lives of two individuals who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, according to Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
The execution of Smith, the first in Oklahoma this year, comes after a long hiatus in executions due to issues with the procedure in 2014 and 2015. Despite Smith’s denial of responsibility during a recent clemency hearing, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay of execution sought by his attorneys.
Witnesses to the execution included Moore’s son Phillip Zachary Jr. and niece Morgan Miller-Perkins, who observed from behind a one-way mirror. While Smith opted not to deliver any last words, justice was deemed to have been served by those in attendance, including Drummond.
During the execution process, Smith initially showed signs of discomfort after the administration of the first lethal drug, midazolam. Despite his denial of guilt, Smith maintained his innocence to the end, claiming that his drug-induced state clouded his recollection of the events leading to his arrest.
Smith’s attorney, Mark Henricksen, argued for clemency on the grounds of Smith’s supposed intellectual disability exacerbated by prolonged drug use. However, prosecutors painted a different picture, portraying Smith as a ruthless gang member seeking revenge in a series of violent acts.
As Smith took his last breaths and succumbed to the lethal injection, the families of the victims found closure in the completion of this chapter. The execution serves as a somber reminder of the consequences of crime and the ultimate punishment prescribed by the law.