Oklahoma AG asks that clemency be denied for death row inmate Michael Dewayne Smith
Oklahoma death row inmate Michael Dewayne Smith was convicted of murdering two people in separate incidents on Feb. 22, 2002
Oklahoma death row inmate Michael Dewayne Smith was convicted of murdering two people in separate incidents on Feb. 22, 2002
Oklahoma death row inmate Michael Dewayne Smith was convicted of murdering two people in separate incidents on Feb. 22, 2002
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond requested that the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board deny clemency for death row inmate Michael Dewayne Smith.
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He was convicted of murdering two people, 40-year-old Janet Moore and 24-year-old store clerk Sharath Pulluru, in separate incidents on Feb. 22, 2002.
Smith's clemency hearing is set for March 6, and he's scheduled to be executed on April 4.
"Michael Smith’s outrageous claims of innocence have been repeatedly rejected in court," Drummond said in a news release. "He is a ruthless killer who has confessed to his crimes on multiple occasions. There is no doubt in my mind that his request for clemency should be denied."
The Attorney General's Office says Smith killed Moore and Pulluru in a "double-murder spree simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time." Authorities also said Smith, who was a member of the Oak Grove Posse Kerr Village Crips, was seeking revenge for the death of a fellow gang member.
During the 2002 murders, officials said Smith was a fugitive on the run for a separate killing.
Drummond also said in the news release that Smith's confession was corroborated by evidence at both murder scenes. The attorney general also said Smith's claims of intellectual disability are statutorily ineligible due to his IQ scores.
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