Oklahoma Executes Death Row Inmate Convicted of Double Slaying in 2002
McAlester, Okla. – After more than two decades since the heinous act, Michael Dewayne Smith was executed Thursday morning at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Smith, who was convicted of shooting and killing two people in Oklahoma City, received a lethal injection and was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m., according to Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesperson Lance West.
Smith, 41, was sentenced to die for the separate shooting deaths of Janet Moore, 41, and Sharath Pulluru, 22, in February 2002. He is the first person to be executed in Oklahoma this year and the 12th since the state resumed executions in 2021 following a hiatus due to execution problems in 2014 and 2015.
During the execution process, Smith appeared to briefly shake and attempt to lift his head after the administration of the first of three lethal drugs. He then took short, audible breaths before being declared unconscious by a masked doctor. Smith stopped breathing about a minute later, and his time of death was announced shortly after.
Despite being given the opportunity to say any last words, Smith responded, “Nah, I’m good.” Moore’s son Phillip Zachary Jr. and niece Morgan Miller-Perkins witnessed the execution, with Attorney General Gentner Drummond stating on their behalf that “justice has been served.”
In a clemency hearing last month, Smith expressed his regrets to the victims’ families but maintained his innocence, claiming he was high on drugs and didn’t remember the crimes. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay of execution requested by Smith’s attorneys Thursday morning, arguing that his confession was not sufficiently corroborated.
Prosecutors described Smith as a ruthless gang member who killed both victims in acts of revenge, with his attorney arguing that Smith is intellectually disabled and should be spared.
The execution of Michael Dewayne Smith marks a significant moment in Oklahoma’s legal history, as the state continues its pursuit of justice for victims of violent crimes.
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