MCALESTER, Okla. — The state of Oklahoma executed death row inmate Michael Dewayne Smith on Thursday morning for killing two people during separate incidents in February of 2002.
Smith, 41, was executed by lethal injuection at 10:20 a.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Smith had been on death row for killing 40-year-old Janet Moore and 24-year-old store clerk Sharath Pulluru in separate incidents on Feb. 22, 2002.
Last month, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted against recommending clemency for Smith; Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked the board to vote against clemency before the hearing.
Smith was the first person executed in Oklahoma this year and the 12th inmate put to death since the state resumed executions in 2021.
When given the opportunity to say his last words, Smith reportedly responded by saying, “Nah, I’m good.”
More on the execution of Michael Dewayne Smith.
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