Pardon and Parole Board votes against recommending clemency for death row inmate Michael Dewayne Smith
Smith was convicted of murdering two people, a 40-year-old mother and a 24-year-old store clerk, in separate incidents on Feb. 22, 2002
Smith was convicted of murdering two people, a 40-year-old mother and a 24-year-old store clerk, in separate incidents on Feb. 22, 2002
Smith was convicted of murdering two people, a 40-year-old mother and a 24-year-old store clerk, in separate incidents on Feb. 22, 2002
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board on Wednesday voted against recommending clemency for death row inmate Michael Dewayne Smith.
| MORE | Family of death row inmate Michael Smith says case is riddled with inconsistencies
Smith 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.
Last month, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond asked that the Pardon and Parole Board deny Smith's clemency, saying the death row inmate killed two people in a "double-murder spree simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Michael Smith’s outrageous claims of innocence have been repeatedly rejected in court," Drummond said in a February statement. "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 Pardon and Parole Board voted 4-1 against recommending clemency.
Family and community activists say Smith should not be executed because they claim his case was riddled with inconsistencies. Smith's family also said they have been railroaded since the beginning of the case.
| MORE | Oklahoma AG asks that clemency be denied for death row inmate Michael Dewayne Smith
They say the problems start with what they call a "false confession" and continue with witness manipulation and ineffective council.
"The confession doesn't match the crime scene," Smith's brother said during a rally earlier this week at the state Capitol. "So, they took the witnesses, had them say things that matched his confession, which is a crime."
Supporters also say someone else confessed to the murders and authorities tested the wrong DNA.
Smith is scheduled to be executed on April 4 at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.
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