Michael Smith was sentenced to death in 2003 for the murders of Janet Moore and Sharath Babu Pulluru on February 22, 2002 in Oklahoma City. This is the first execution since the start of the year in Oklahoma, and the fourth in the United States.
Oklahoma resumed capital executions in 2021 after a six-year moratorium due to botched executions in 2014 and 2015. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 out of 50 American states, while six observe a moratorium on executions by decision of the governor.