Current:Home > FinanceOklahoma prepares to execute man for 2002 double slaying -PureWealth Academy
Oklahoma prepares to execute man for 2002 double slaying
View
Date:2025-04-12 09:37:00
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! (7491)
Related
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- West Virginia state troopers sued over Maryland man’s roadside death
- A Lyle Lovett band member spotted a noose in Montana. Police are investigating it as hate crime
- Far-right activist Ammon Bundy loses defamation case and faces millions of dollars in fines
- Golf's No. 1 Nelly Korda looking to regain her form – and her spot on the Olympic podium
- Traps set for grizzly bear that killed woman near Yellowstone National Park
- A play about censorship is censored — and free speech groups are fighting back
- Wendy's unveils new cold brew coffee drink based on its signature Frosty
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Gynecologist convicted of sexually abusing dozens of patients faces 20 years in prison
Ranking
- 2024 Olympics: Gymnast Ana Barbosu Taking Social Media Break After Scoring Controversy
- Snoop Dogg brings his NFT into real life with new ice cream line available in select Walmart stores
- What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing, listening and reading
- Three found dead at campsite were members of Colorado Springs family who planned to live ‘off grid’
- Chief beer officer for Yard House: A side gig that comes with a daily swig.
- '100% coral mortality' found at Florida Keys reef due to rising temperatures, restoration group says
- A man killed women he deemed 'immoral' — an Iranian film fictionalizes the story
- U.N. Command talking with North Korea about fate of Travis King, American soldier who crossed border
Recommendation
Kansas City Chiefs CEO's Daughter Ava Hunt Hospitalized After Falling Down a Mountain
Casey Phair becomes youngest ever to play in Women's World Cup at age 16
Brian Harmon wins British Open for first-ever championship title
Biden's DOJ sues Texas over floating barrier, update on 'fake electors': 5 Things podcast
US auto safety agency seeks information from Tesla on fatal Cybertruck crash and fire in Texas
'Sopranos' actor Michael Imperioli grapples with guilt and addiction in 'White Lotus'
2022 was a big year for ballet books: Here are 5 to check out
Poetry academy announces more than $1 million in grants for U.S. laureates