A man who was convicted of murdering two people in Oklahoma over twenty years ago was executed on Thursday, marking the state’s first execution of the year.
Michael Dewayne Smith, aged 41, received a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m., as confirmed by the Department of Corrections to CBS News.
The execution followed Oklahoma’s decision to reinstate capital punishment in 2021 after problematic executions raised concerns about its protocols.
Smith was sentenced to death in Oklahoma for the murders of Janet Moore, a 41-year-old mother, and Sharath Pulluru, a 22-year-old store clerk, which occurred separately on February 22, 2002, while Smith was evading capture after a prior killing.
The execution process on Thursday lasted just over 10 minutes, beginning at 10:09 a.m. and concluding with Smith being declared unconscious at 10:14 a.m.
A spiritual adviser joined him in the death chamber at his request, and he did not request a last meal.
Smith attempted numerous appeals throughout his imprisonment, claiming innocence despite confessing to the crimes.
His requests for clemency based on substance abuse issues and intellectual disability were unsuccessful.
Oklahoma’s Attorney General Gentner Drummond rejected Smith’s plea for clemency, stating that evidence supported Smith’s confession and dismissed claims of intellectual disability based on IQ scores.
Despite maintaining his innocence, Smith apologized to the victims’ families before his execution.
Smith’s case exemplifies Oklahoma’s contentious history with capital punishment, including past botched executions and the state’s recent resumption of executions after a hiatus.
