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Clemency Denied For Former Soldier Convicted Of Murder
July 12, 2005
AP
ChannelOklahoma.com
McALESTER, Okla. -- The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has denied
clemency for a former Fort Sill soldier who fatally shot a Lawton
convenience store clerk nearly 14 years ago.
Board members voted 4-1 Monday to reject a request by Michael Pennington,
whom authorities say shot Bradley Grooms at a 7-Eleven store with a
sawed-off, 12-gauge shotgun. Grooms, 20, died at the scene.
"I was petty, narcissistic and selfish, and because of my actions, Bradley
Grooms is dead," Pennington, 37, read from a letter he kept in a manila
envelope.
"Murder is the worst of all crimes, and I have not learned to live with
it. Nothing I can say or do will wash away the hate and self-loathing."
Pennington apologized to Grooms' parents, who did not attend the hearing.
The gunman fired several other shots inside the store, most of them at a
cash register in an attempt to retrieve money, court records show.
Authorities tracked Pennington to Akron, Ohio, where he surrendered.
Defense Attorney Fred Skaggs argued that trial lawyers didn't submit "the
real cause" of what turned "this young man of high achievement, service to
country into a fleeing murderer" - steroids.
Board members questioned Skaggs and Pennington about the possible effects
of steroids and how or if it was related to the murder.
The death row inmate said he used a horse steroid days before the killing.
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Michael Pennington Scheduled To Die Tuesday
Associated Press
7/18/2005
KOTV - The News on 6
www.KOTV.com
McALESTER, Okla. (AP) _ A Comanche County killer is scheduled to die by
lethal injection Tuesday evening for the 1991 shooting death of a Lawton
convenience store clerk.
Michael L. Pennington, 37, was convicted in 1993 of the murder of clerk
Bradley Thomas Grooms, 20, during a robbery attempt.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Pennington's final appeal of his conviction
in May. His execution date was set in June, and there is no request for
clemency pending before Gov. Brad Henry.
``As far as we know there is nothing standing in the way'' of the
scheduled execution, said Charlie Price, a spokesman for Attorney General
Drew Edmondson.
Pennington, who has changed his name to Sharieff Sallahdin, has filed a
request with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals for an emergency stay
of execution.
His attorney, Fred Staggs of Oklahoma City, said on Monday that he was
waiting to assist with any last-minute request, but Pennington had not
asked for his help.
Previously, Pennington has argued in court that the murder was a psychotic
consequence of his steroid use. He has said in appeals of the death
sentence that the anabolic steroids, taken to enhance his weight lifting
and body building regimen, altered his normal behavior and transformed him
from a disciplined soldier into a fleeing killer.
For his final meal, he has requested a small vegetarian pizza, a large
garden salad with Italian dressing, a hot fudge sundae, a bag or Oreo
cookies and a pine of milk.
Pennington, who was stationed at the time 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. Police tracked Pennington to his wife's house in
Akron, Ohio, where he was arrested.
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Former Okla. soldier executed for murder
SHAUN SCHAFER
AP
Tue, Jul. 19, 2005
McALESTER, Okla. - A former U.S. soldier who said steroids turned
him into a killer was executed Tuesday evening for the 1991 murder
of a convenience store clerk during a botched robbery attempt.
Michael L. Pennington, 37, who changed his name to Sharieff
Sallahdin after converting to Islam at the Oklahoma State
Penitentiary, was given a lethal injection and pronounced dead at
6:10 p.m., corrections officials said.
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 were there.
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[Definitie:] "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance."
(Wilmore and Costill) 
