American man executed with injection for killing Indian youth

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

A 41-year-old American convicted of shooting and killing two persons, including an Indian, was executed by a lethal injection in Oklahoma on Thursday.

Michael Dewayne Smith was given the lethal injection after the Supreme Court, earlier in the day, rejected a stay on grounds that his confession to police was not sufficiently corroborated. Smith had killed Janet Moore (41) and Sharath Pulluru (22) in separate shootings on the same day in February 2002.

Oklahoma horror

• Smith had killed Indian-origin Sharath Pulluru (22) and Janet Moore (41) in separate shootings same day in Feb 2002
• He was the first person executed in Oklahoma this year and the 12th since 2021
• Pulluru was a convenience store clerk and Smith believed he had disrespected his gang

Smith had claimed that he was high on drugs and didn't even remember getting arrested. But prosecutors painted him as a brutal gang member who killed the victims. The police claimed he killed Moore thinking her son had told the police about his whereabouts. Later, he killed the Indian-origin Pulluru, a convenience store clerk, because Smith believed he had disrespected his gang during an interview with a newspaper reporter, reported local media.

In a statement, the Pulluru family said, “Sharath was the life of our family. His sudden death in such a violent manner has affected our lives every day since. We are thankful justice was served today.”

When asked if he had any last words, Smith responded, “Nah, I am good,” the US media reported.

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