McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Kendrick Simpson, who admitted to killing two men in a drive-by shooting in 2006, was executed Thursday in Oklahoma's first execution of the year. The 45-year-old was pronounced dead at 10:19 CT after a three-drug injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Simpson was convicted of killing Anthony Jones, 19, and Glen Palmer, 20, by firing into their vehicle after an altercation at an Oklahoma City nightclub. Having moved to Oklahoma City from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Simpson apologized during a clemency hearing held last month, saying, I apologize for murdering your sons. I don’t make any excuses. I don’t blame others, and they didn’t deserve what happened to them. While he expressed remorse, the state's five-member Pardon and Parole Board narrowly voted against clemency. His appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to block the execution was also rejected without comment. Simpson's attorneys argued that he battled post-traumatic stress disorder from a traumatic childhood in New Orleans, but the board received letters from victims’ family members, including Palmer’s sister, who supported the execution. Attorney General Gentner Drummond expressed approval of the decision to deny clemency, labeling Simpson a ruthless and violent killer who hunted his victims without remorse. The execution utilized midazolam as a sedative, followed by drugs to halt breathing and stop the heart. With Simpson’s execution, he became the second person executed in the U.S. this year, following the execution of Ronald Palmer Heath in Florida.