Oklahoma Schedules Second US Execution of 2026 for Drive-By Double Murder
Kendrick Simpson, a 45-year-old convicted of killing two young men in a 2006 drive-by shooting, is set to become the first execution in Oklahoma this year and the second across the United States in 2026. The lethal injection is scheduled at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary following the rejection of his clemency appeal and a failed last-minute Supreme Court intervention.
Apology and Trauma Defense Fail to Halt Execution
During a clemency hearing last month, Simpson admitted to the murders of 19-year-old Anthony Jones and 20-year-old Glen Palmer, who were fatally shot after a dispute at an Oklahoma City nightclub. "I apologize for murdering your sons," Simpson told the victims' families. "I don't make any excuses. I don't blame others, and they didn't deserve what happened to them."
Despite this apology, the state's five-member Pardon and Parole Board narrowly voted to deny clemency. Simpson's attorneys argued he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder due to chronic childhood trauma growing up in a New Orleans housing project, compounded by fleeing Hurricane Katrina's devastation in 2005. "Kendrick is a man worthy of your mercy and compassion," his legal team wrote, contending the death penalty should be reserved for "the worst of the worst."
Brutal Details of the 2006 Shooting Emerge
Prosecutors detailed that on the night of January 2006, Simpson placed an assault rifle in a vehicle trunk before heading to a northwest Oklahoma City club. After an altercation with Palmer at the venue, Simpson and his friends followed Palmer and Jones from a nearby gas station. Simpson then fired approximately 20 rounds into their car, shooting both victims multiple times in a brutal drive-by attack.
Some family members of the victims expressed strong support for the execution. Crystal Allison, Palmer's sister, wrote to the parole board: "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."
Legal and Political Backing for Execution
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond commended the board's decision, labeling Simpson a "ruthless and violent killer who hunted his victims without remorse." The state employs a three-drug protocol for executions: midazolam as a sedative, vecuronium bromide to halt breathing, and potassium chloride to stop the heart.
This execution follows Florida's recent lethal injection of Ronald Palmer Heath on Tuesday for a 1989 murder, marking the first US execution of 2026. In 2025, the United States conducted 47 executions, with Florida leading at 19 under Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, while Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas each executed five individuals. Florida is scheduled to perform the next execution on Tuesday, involving Melvin Trotter for killing a grocery store owner during a robbery.
The case highlights ongoing debates about capital punishment, trauma defenses, and the judicial process in high-profile murder convictions across America.
