JUST IN: Oklahoma Has Executed Kendrick Antonio Simpson by Lethal Injection
After 19 years on death row, Kendrick Antonio Simpson was executed on February 12th, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester by lethal injection. Stay until the end because in this video, I’ll tell you about the crime that sent him to death row, >> [music] >> the details of his execution, and his final words before he died.
Kendrick Antonio Simpson was born in 1980 and grew up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, one of the city’s most violent and impoverished neighborhoods. >> [music] >> His childhood was marked by crime and drugs, and from a young age, he became immersed in that environment. At 16, he committed a violent home invasion robbery.
During the attack, he shot a store owner at point-blank [music] range. The victim survived, but the incident made it clear that violence had already become part of Simpson’s behavior. In 2004, Simpson was the victim of a shooting in New Orleans. He was shot in the head, abdomen, and leg, fell into a coma, and underwent 16 surgeries.
He survived but was left with permanent physical damage and severe paranoia. Months later, Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home and left him stranded for days without food or water until he found shelter at a convention center. >> [music] >> In late 2005, at 27 years old, he relocated to Oklahoma City as a refugee.
On the night of January 15th, 2006, Simpson went out with two friends, Jonathan Dalton and Latango Robertson, in Dalton’s white Monte Carlo. Before heading to Fritzi’s, a hip-hop nightclub in Northwest Oklahoma City, Simpson stopped by his house to change clothes. That was when he grabbed an AK-style assault rifle and took it with him.
The three men first attended a private party. When they left, Simpson placed the rifle in the trunk of the Monte Carlo, which could be accessed from the backseat. They arrived at Fritzy’s around midnight on January 16th. As Simpson walked through the club, he passed London Johnson, Anthony Jones, and Glenn Palmer.
One of them made a comment about the Chicago Cubs cap Simpson was wearing. According to prosecutors, the cap was linked to a rival gang. Simpson returned to his table and told his friends that someone had given him trouble over his hat. Shortly after, Simpson approached Palmer, Jones, and Johnson. During the second confrontation, he threatened them saying he was going to chop them, a street term referring to shooting someone with an AK-47 style rifle.
After making the threat, he walked away, but then returned once more. This time, he extended his hand toward Palmer and told him they should settle the issue. Palmer responded by punching him in the mouth, knocking him to the floor. Furious and humiliated, Simpson told Dalton and Robertson that he wanted to leave.
The three men exited the club and walked to the Monte Carlo in the parking lot. While they were there, they spoke with some girls who were also leaving the club, and the girls told them to follow them to a 7-Eleven located at 23rd Street and Portland. When they arrived at the 7-Eleven, Simpson, Dalton, and Robertson parked in the back of the store.
That’s when they saw Palmer, Jones, and Johnson pull in driving Palmer’s Chevrolet Caprice. Dalton urged Simpson to calm down, but Simpson was enraged and wanted revenge. When Palmer left the parking lot and entered Interstate 44, Simpson ordered Dalton to follow them. During the chase, Simpson, sitting in the front passenger seat, demanded that Robertson, who was in the backseat, [music] hand him the rifle.
Robertson passed it forward. Dalton followed the Caprice until they exited the Interstate at Pennsylvania Avenue. There, Dalton pulled the Monte Carlo into the left lane alongside the Caprice. Simpson leaned the rifle out of the open passenger window and opened fire. Palmer, who was driving, was hit four times.
One bullet grazed his right shoulder, two struck the left side of his back, and one fatal round pierced his chest. At first, he was conscious. He could speak and knew he had been shot. He was afraid the shooters would come back, but his breathing became labored. He began making gurgling sounds as his chest filled with blood, and eventually he lost consciousness.
Jones, in the front passenger seat, was struck multiple times, including wounds to the head and torso. His death was almost immediate. According to the medical examiner, his injuries were not survivable, and he likely died within seconds of the gunfire. Johnson desperately tried to perform CPR on both men, but it was useless.
He flagged down a passing car and asked for help. Palmer and Jones were pronounced dead at the scene. Dalton kept driving to a residence in Midwest City where they left the rifle and switched vehicles. After that, the three men went to meet up with the girls they had met earlier at Fritzi’s. Simpson was arrested shortly after the shooting.
During police questioning, he admitted that he had been at Fritzi’s with Dalton and Robertson, and that he had been punched in the face that night, but he denied committing the murders. However, his two accomplices, Dalton and Robertson, were initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder and later testified against Simpson at trial.
The trial took place in 2007 in in County District Court for the murders. The jury found Simpson guilty on all counts, two counts of first-degree murder with malice aforethought, and one count of shooting with intent to kill. After his conviction, Simpson spent years filing appeals, but each one was denied. During his nearly 20 years on Oklahoma’s death row, he earned his GED and published a book of poems, essays, [music] and short stories.
Whether I live for 4 more weeks or 40 years, they will forever be a part of my testimony. I’m profoundly sorry, and I ask for your mercy. His execution was ultimately scheduled for February 12th, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. under an order issued on November 19th, 2025 by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal [music] Appeals.
On the morning of February 12th, Kendrick woke up at 5:00 a.m. >> [music] >> He showered and met with his spiritual advisor. At 7:00 a.m., he was allowed to visit with his four children and one granddaughter, who remained with him until 8:30 a.m. For his final meal, Simpson had a bacon cheeseburger, a large order of onion rings, and a strawberry milkshake.
Around 9:30 a.m., Kendrick was escorted to the execution chamber. He was placed on a padded gurney and secured with straps. Through an opening in the wall, three intravenous lines were inserted and prepared to deliver the lethal injection. Oklahoma uses a three-drug protocol: midazolam as a sedative, vecuronium bromide to stop breathing, and potassium chloride to stop the heart.
According to witnesses, Kendrick appeared uncomfortable during the administration of the lethal injection, showing slight signs of distress. He made several body movements and experienced irregular breathing in the first few minutes of the procedure before eventually losing consciousness. At 10:33 a.m.
authorities officially pronounced him dead. He was 45 years old at the time of his death. Several members of Glenn Palmer’s family were present at the execution along with Anthony Jones’s sister, Tellyasha Jones. And that’s how Kendrick Antonio Simpson’s case came to an end after 20 years. What do you think was justice served or not? Let me know in the comments.
