Execution Marks First 2026 Death in Oklahoma

Kendrick Simpson, 45, was pronounced dead at 10:19 CT after a three‑drug injection in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. He had been convicted for killing two men in a drive‑by shooting back in 2006, an act that began with a fight at an Oklahoma City nightclub. The incident started when Simpson and his friends drove to the club in a vehicle that had an assault rifle hidden in its trunk. After a quarrel with Glen Palmer, the group followed Palmer and Anthony Jones from a nearby gas station. Simpson then fired about 20 rounds into the car that housed both victims, killing them both. Simpson fled to Oklahoma City from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and later admitted his guilt during a clemency hearing. He apologized to the families of the victims and to another passenger who survived the shooting, saying he made no excuses for his actions.Despite his apology, a five‑member Pardon and Parole Board narrowly denied him clemency. The U. S. Supreme Court also declined to halt the execution after a last‑minute appeal was rejected. Simpson’s lawyers argued that he suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder due to a traumatic childhood in New Orleans’ housing projects. They contended that the death penalty should be reserved for the most severe offenders and that Simpson did not fit that category. Family members of the victims largely supported the execution. Palmer’s sister, Crystal Allison, wrote that she would like to see Simpson punished for taking her brother’s life. Attorney General Gentner Drummond praised the board’s decision, describing Simpson as a ruthless killer who showed no remorse. The execution followed Florida’s record of 19 executions in 2025, with the state leading the nation. Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas each carried out five executions that year.