The state of Oklahoma has carried out its first execution for the year 2024, administering a lethal injection to Michael Dewayne Smith, convicted of a double murder.
Smith, who was 19 at the time of the crimes, killed Janet Moore and Sarath Babu Pulluru during a drug-fuelled crime spree in Oklahoma City in 2002. Moore was killed when Smith went to her house looking for her son, whom he believed to be a police informant. Pulluru was killed when Smith mistook him for another convenience store clerk.
Upon being asked if he had any last words, the 41-year-old Smith simply responded, “Nah, I’m good.”
The execution took place at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Reporters present at the scene noted that Smith died within minutes of receiving the lethal cocktail of three drugs. He was pronounced dead at 10:20 ET on Thursday, confirmed by the Department of Corrections to CBS News, the BBC’s media partner in the US.
Smith’s execution marks the 12th since Oklahoma resumed carrying out death penalties in 2021, following a nearly seven-year hiatus due to issues arising during previous executions.
In a statement released after Smith’s execution, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond expressed gratitude, saying, “I am grateful that justice has been served.”
The family of Janet Moore also released a statement, acknowledging that “justice has been served” and expressing gratitude to authorities for pursuing the punishment over the past 22 years. They emphasized that the loss caused by Moore’s death “does not go unnoticed or in vain,” as it has impacted generations to come.
Similarly, Sarath Babu Pulluru’s family stated that he “will forever live in our hearts.”
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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