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On Tuesday, Kendrick Simpson, convicted of a double murder, was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. As the final moments approached, he addressed his supporters with a heartfelt farewell, saying, “I love y’all.” Meanwhile, the families of the victims watched, haunted by the same smile Simpson displayed in his final moments—a sight that had troubled them for over twenty years.
The tragic events unfolded in 2006 when Simpson, then 45, fatally shot Anthony Jones, 19, and Glen Palmer, 20. The violence erupted following a dispute between Simpson and Palmer at a nightclub in Oklahoma City.
Inside the execution chamber, Simpson expressed gratitude to those present, stating, “Thank y’all for being here to support me.” His spiritual advisor, Rev. Don Heath, stood by his side, reciting Scripture as the execution proceeded, a process that concluded in less than 15 minutes.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, which provided a photograph of Simpson dated August 11, 2025, medical professionals confirmed his unconsciousness approximately five minutes into the procedure, later declaring him deceased.
During his incarceration, Simpson had found solace in writing, becoming a published poet, a detail marking a stark contrast to his violent past.
Doctors determined Simpson, who became a published poet behind bars, was unconscious about five minutes in, and later pronounced him dead.
Family members of the victims who attended the execution told The Associated Press they were unsettled by Simpson’s demeanor in the death chamber.
“The same smile that had been tormenting me for 20 years, he still smiled that same smile laying on his deathbed,” said Palmer’s sister, Crystal Allison.
Kendrick Simpson’s execution was carried out at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. (Shepard Sherbell/Corbis SABA/Corbis via Getty Images)
Attorney General Gentner Drummond wrote in a statement he hoped Simpson’s execution gave the victims’ families “some measure of peace.”
“Justice has been served for Glen Palmer and Anthony Jones. Their young lives were taken tragically and far too soon,” Drummond wrote. “I hope today brings some measure of peace to their families who have endured unimaginable pain for the past 20 years.”
Department of Corrections officials said Simpson’s last meal Wednesday included a bacon cheeseburger, large onion rings and a strawberry milkshake, according to a report from The Oklahoman.
In January 2006, Simpson and his friends followed Palmer and Jones from a nearby gas station and Simpson opened fire into their car, killing the two men, according to prosecutors.
Lawyers argued Simpson, who moved to Oklahoma City from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, had a diagnosis of PTSD resulting from the collapse of access to basic necessities in the wake of the natural disaster, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Simpson was also a victim of gun violence — he was shot five times in November 2004 in a New Orleans drive-by shooting, according to The Oklahoman.
Simpson was allegedly a victim of Hurricane Katrina. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
During a clemency hearing in January, Simpson apologized for the killings and said he does not make excuses.
“I don’t make any excuses,” Simpson said at the time. “I don’t blame others, and they didn’t deserve what happened to them.”
Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board denied clemency and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal to block the execution.
Simpson’s execution marked the first of the year in Oklahoma, and the second of the year in the U.S.
Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, was put to death in Florida on Tuesday after being convicted of killing a man during a botched armed robbery in 1989.
