In the municipality of Houston, a 41-year-old individual found guilty of the fatal shooting of two individuals, including an Indian national, within the confines of Oklahoma, United States, in the year 2002, met his end through the administration of lethal injection on Thursday. As per the report from KOCO-TV, Michael Dewayne Smith faced execution at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary situated in the town of McAlester.
Smith had been under the sentence of death for the killings of Sharath Pulluru, a 24-year-old Indian store attendant, and Janet Moore, aged 40, during separate occurrences transpiring on the 22nd of February in 2002.
Gentner Drummond, the Attorney General of Oklahoma, released a formal declaration regarding the execution of Smith, expressing, “I extend my hopes that today offers some semblance of solace for the families of Janet Miller-Moore and Sharath Pulluru. The journey spanning 22 years has been arduous and emotionally taxing for their loved ones, and my heart resonates with the suffering they have endured.”
“I am compelled to underscore to the populace of Oklahoma that the individuals victimized by Michael Smith were commendable and upright individuals who did not merit their tragic end,” Drummond emphasized.
Describing Sharath as a youthful luminary exuding altruism, Drummond portrayed him as the pioneer within his family to venture into the United States with aspirations for academic advancement. “He exuded charisma, serving as a source of inspiration for his kin, and harbored a future brimming with promise,” Drummond articulated. He further lamented that the duo met their demise merely due to their inadvertent presence at an inopportune juncture. “Such was their plight. I am relieved that justice has finally been dispensed,” he concluded.
A month prior, Harish Pulluru, the sibling of Sharath, issued a statement imploring the rejection of clemency for Smith. As per reports from KFOR television channel, he articulated, “Sharath embodied excellence; he was the trailblazer within our familial lineage to tread upon American soil. He is the catalyst behind my profession as a medical practitioner. During his initial days in the United States, I awaited eagerly by the telephone booth in India, cherishing each telephonic exchange we shared.”
“Witnessing the perpetual agony endured by our parents was excruciating. Sharath epitomized filial love, sibling camaraderie, and avuncular affection. He constituted the nucleus of our familial circle. Our familial bonds are profound, and the abrupt loss of Sharath in such a manner of brutality continues to cast a shadow over our existence to this day. We implore the denial of clemency,” Harish asserted.
In a final testament preceding his execution, Smith proclaimed, “My very existence hangs in the balance. Despite the emergence of fresh evidence, my legal representative, Mark Henricksen, has conveyed to my family his decision to abstain from further appeals on my behalf. Through this proclamation, I demand that Mr. Henricksen discharge his professional duties and wage a fervent battle for the preservation of my life.”