US News: The culprit was given the death penalty on Thursday for shooting dead two people, including an Indian, in the US state of Oklahoma in 2002. According to a report by news channel KOCO-TV, the accused Michael Dwayne Smith (41) was given a lethal injection in a jail in the city of McAlester, which led to his death.

Smith murdered 24-year-old Sharad Pulluru and 40-year-old Janet Moore in two separate incidents on February 22, 2002. The court found the accused guilty and sentenced him to death.

Statement from the Attorney General of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a statement following Smith's sentencing, saying he hoped today would bring some peace to the families of Moore and Sharad.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond released a statement on Smith's execution, saying, 'I pray that today brings some measure of peace to the families of Janet Miller-Moore and Sharath Pulluru. It has been a long and difficult 22 years for his loved ones. My heart aches for the pain they have endured

Drummond said, 'Sharath, a brilliant young man with a generous spirit, was the first person in his family to come to the United States to pursue an education. He was an inspiration to his family, and his future was promising.'

The Attorney General of Oklahoma said that both were murdered because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sharath's family had opposed Smith's clemency grant.
Last month, Sharath Pulluru's brother, Harish Pulluru, issued a statement calling for Smith to be denied clemency.

Harish Pulluru said, '"Sharath was an amazing person, he was the first person in our family to come to the United States. It was because of him that I became a doctor.' He said, 'I saw the pain that my parents went through every day. Sharath was a loving son, brother , and uncle. He was the life of our family. His sudden death in such a violent manner has affected our family. We want amnesty to be denied.