Drummond asks board to reject clemency for death row inmate

OKLAHOMA (KFOR) - Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is asking the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to reject clemency for Michael Dewayne Smith.

According to AG Drummond, Smith was convicted of murdering 40-year-old Janet Moore and 24-year-old Sharath Pulluru in two separate incidents on February 22, 2002. His clemency hearing is planned for March 6, 2024.

“Michael Smith’s outrageous claims of innocence have been repeatedly rejected in court,” Drummond said. “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.”

Officials say the clemency packet provided by the AG's Office contained a note from the agency's criminal appeals attorneys saying that Smith murdered Moore and Pulluru in "a double-murder spree simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The packet also said that Smith was reportedly also known as the "Hoover Killer" and was a part of the Oak Grove Posse Kerr Village Crips gang and was looking to get revenge for another member's death.

At the time the crime was committed, officials say Smith was involved in a another separate murder and that Smith's confession was confirmed by evidence at both crime scenes. Drummond added that "Smith’s claims of intellectual disability are statutorily ineligible due to his IQ scores."

Smith is scheduled to be executed on April 4, 2024.