OKLAHOMA CITY — The state of Oklahoma on Thursday morning executed Kendrick Simpson by lethal injection, prompting protests and renewed criticism of capital punishment from advocacy groups. Simpson was pronounced dead at 10:19 a.m., and advocates said he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to the Oklahoma Death Penalty Tracker, Oklahoma has executed more than 125 people since the modern era of capital punishment began in 1976, making it the nation’s highest per capita rate for executions.
Simpson had been convicted of the 2006 murders of Glen Palmer and Anthony Jones. Based on an article by NBC News, Palmer and Jones were shot after Simpson fired into their car following an altercation at an Oklahoma City nightclub.
On the night of the killings, Simpson had an assault rifle in the trunk of the vehicle he was in, and after the altercation at the club, he followed both victims from a gas station and fired nearly 20 rounds into their car. It was noted that both victims were shot multiple times.
Simpson had fled the city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, going to Oklahoma, and admitted to the 2006 murders at a clemency hearing last month. During the clemency hearing, he apologized to the victims’ families and to the third person who was in the car at the time of the shooting.
Simpson’s exact words were, “I apologize for murdering your sons, I don’t make any excuses. I don’t blame others, and they didn’t deserve what happened to them.” Despite the apology, the Oklahoma State Pardon and Parole Board voted to deny him clemency.
During Simpson’s trial, his attorney argued that he struggled with PTSD “stemming from his childhood years growing up in a New Orleans housing project.” His attorney also claimed that “the death penalty is supposed to be reserved for the worst of the worst offenses and offenders and that the accused and his case represent neither.”
Some of the victims’ family members supported the execution. Palmer’s sister wrote in a letter, “He made the choice for him so I stand here today to make the choice for my family. Yes, we would like to see him executed for what he did — he executed my brother.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond commended the board for denying clemency and called Simpson a “ruthless and violent killer who hunted his victims without remorse.”
The NBC article also noted that the state “uses the sedative midazolam, followed by vecuronium bromide to halt breathing and potassium chloride to stop the heart.”
On the morning of Simpson’s execution, community members attended the “Don’t Kill For Me” Protest & Vigil. Among the attendees was Carly Heitland, an ACLU-OK organizer and OK-CADP member, who sent thoughts and prayers to Simpson’s family, legal team and close friends.
The “Don’t Kill For Me” Protest & Vigil was an initiative in which participants stood in silence until a notice of execution was given. The vigil concluded with a circle of prayer.
Dr. Elizabeth Overman, OK-CADP chair, stated, “The death penalty is the ultimate violation of the most fundamental human right: the right to life. It is cruel, inhumane, and degrading. It is a violation of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”
Heitland stated that Simpson had a “life worth living, worth saving, and now worth remembering.” She said she hopes people continue to oppose and fight against what she described as “unjust capital punishments.”
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