MICHAEL L PENNINGTON (CONVERTED TO ISLAM AND EXECUTED ON JULY 19, 2005)

            On this date, July 19, 2005, Michael L Pennington AKA Sharieff Imani Sallahdin, was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma. He was convicted of the October 21, 1991 murder of Bradley Thomas Grooms.

  

Michael L Pennington AKA Sharieff Imani Sallahdin

INTERNET SOURCE: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/pennington974.htm

Summary:
Pennington, a soldier stationed at nearby Fort Sill, entered a Lawton 7-Eleven convenience store at 5:00 a.m. armed with a shotgun he had recently purchased at K-Mart and demanded money. He fired several rounds, one hitting clerk Bradley Grooms in the back, at least one shot went into a cooler, and several were fired at the cash register. During the shooting, a second clerk, James Principi, hid in a bathroom, locking himself in. Despite killing Grooms and using all his ammunition, Pennington left the store empty-handed when the register failed to open. Pennington was identified to police by Principi and a customer in the store who was acquainted with Pennington. Police tracked Pennington to his wife's house in Akron, Ohio, where he was arrested. At trial, Pennington testified that a notorious gang member named "T" entered the store with him and committed the murder. Pennington was a weightlifter and body builder and on appeal claimed that steroids turned him into a killer. No motive, other than greed and a desire to eliminate witnesses, was determined for the murder.

Citations:
Pennington v. State, 913 P.2d 1356 (Okl.Cr. 1995) (Direct Appeal).
Sallahdin v. State, 947 P.2d 559 (Okl.Cr. 1997) (PCR).
Sallahdin v. Gibson, 275 F.3d 1211 (10th Cir.) (2002) (Habeas).
Sallahdin v. Mullin, 380 F.3d 1242 (10th Cir. 2004) (Habeas).

Final Meal:
A small vegetarian pizza, a large garden salad with Italian dressing, a hot fudge sundae, a bag of Oreo cookies and a pint of milk.

Final Words:
Declined.

Internet Sources:
Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Inmate: MICHAEL L PENNINGTON
Alias: Sharieff Imani Sallahdin
ODOC# 218361
Birthdate: 11/25/1967
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Height: 5 ft. 06 in.
Weight: 131 pounds
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
County of Conviction: Comanche
Date of Conviction: 09/17/1993
Location: Oklahoma State Penitentiary, Mcalester

"Former Soldier Executed for 1991 Slaying of Clerk." (AP July 20, 2005)

McALESTER (AP) - A former U.S. soldier and in-prison convert to Islam was executed Tuesday evening for the 1991 murder of a convenience store clerk.

Michael L. Pennington, 37, who changed his name to Sharieff Sallahdin while at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, received a lethal injection and was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m., corrections officials said.

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals rejected a stay request filed this past week. The U.S. Supreme Court also declined to stop the execution.

Shortly before 6 p.m., the 5-foot-7 man was strapped to a gurney in the execution chamber. Pennington's only comment was, "No statement." He then mouthed the words "I love you," to two family members who witnessed his execution. None of the victim's relatives attended the execution.

The former weightlifter and body builder was convicted in 1993 of the murder of clerk Bradley Thomas Grooms, 20, during a robbery attempt in Lawton on Oct. 21, 1991. Pennington, who was stationed at nearby Fort Sill, shot Grooms once in the back with a sawed-off, 12-gauge shotgun. After killing Grooms, Pennington fired several times into a cash register and throughout the store. Despite killing Grooms and using all his ammunition, Pennington left the store empty-handed when the register failed to open. Police tracked Pennington to his wife's house in Akron, Ohio, where he was arrested.

For his final meal, he requested a small vegetarian pizza, a large garden salad with Italian dressing, a hot fudge sundae, a bag of Oreo cookies and a pint of milk.

The next execution in Oklahoma is scheduled for Aug. 11. Kenneth Eugene Turrentine, 52, is scheduled to die that day for murdering his girlfriend during a Tulsa County killing spree. Turrentine was convicted of the June 4, 1994, slayings of his sister, Avon Stevenson, his girlfriend, Anita Louise Richardson, and Richardson's children, Tina L. Pennington, 22, and Martise D. Richardson, 13. Turrentine shot Stevenson at her home and Richardson and her children at their residence, both in northeast Tulsa.