Kendrick Simpson Executed in Oklahoma: The First Execution of 2026

Fri Feb 13 2026 01:25:00 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Oklahoma executed Kendrick Simpson for the 2006 drive-by shooting of two men. Amidst emotional testimonies and appeals for clemency, Simpson acknowledged his actions and expressed remorse before the execution.

Kendrick Simpson, 45, was executed in Oklahoma on January 26, 2026, for the murder of Anthony Jones and Glen Palmer in a drive-by shooting in 2006. Despite his admission of guilt and appeal for clemency citing post-traumatic stress disorder from his childhood, both the state Pardon and Parole Board and the U.S. Supreme Court denied his requests. Simpson was injected with a three-drug cocktail, marking Oklahoma's first execution of the year, amidst a mix of public support and opposition for his clemency.

McALESTER, Okla. — Kendrick Simpson was executed on Thursday, January 26, 2026, marking Oklahoma's first execution of the year. Simpson, 45, was pronounced dead at 10:19 PM CT following a three-drug injection administered at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. He was convicted of the 2006 drive-by shooting that resulted in the deaths of Anthony Jones, 19, and Glen Palmer, 20, after an altercation at a nightclub in Oklahoma City.

Simpson had fled to Oklahoma City from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and during a clemency hearing last month, he acknowledged the murders while offering an apology to the victims’ families. I apologize for murdering your sons, he stated. I don’t make any excuses. I don’t blame others, and they didn’t deserve what happened to them.

Despite his expressions of remorse, Simpson’s plea for mercy was rejected by the state’s Pardon and Parole Board in a narrow vote. His attorneys argued that he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder due to childhood trauma, contending that he did not represent the worst of offenders deserving the death penalty.

On the night of the killings, Simpson used an assault rifle to fire multiple rounds into a vehicle occupied by the two victims. Family members of the victims voiced support for Simpson’s execution at the clemency hearing. 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, said Crystal Allison, sister of Glen Palmer.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond praised the board for denying clemency, labeling Simpson a ruthless and violent killer. The execution was carried out using a lethal injection protocol consisting of midazolam, vecuronium bromide, and potassium chloride. This event adds to the ongoing discussions surrounding capital punishment in America, particularly as Florida conducts its own executions in 2026.