Michael Brandon Samra was convicted of capital murder and was sentenced to death in 1997 and executed on May 16, 2019 for his role in the killings of Randy Duke, his fiancée, Dedra Hunt, and her two daughters: 6yo Chelisa and 7yo Chelsea. Randy Duke was the father of Michael’s friend and co-defendant, 16yo Mark Duke. Mark Duke planned the murders after he got into a fight and was angry with his father because wouldn't let him use his pickup.
His last words were a prayer…
I would like to thank Jesus for everything he’s done for me.
I want to thank Jesus for shedding his blood for my sins.
Thank you for your grace Jesus, amen.
Michael Samra. Lot of 2 ALS. Pmks: (1) September 24, 2015 and (2) October 13, 2015. SEALED. Contents unknown. Pristine.
Murders
Mark Duke and Michael Samra (“Michael”), then 19, brought two guns to Randy Duke’s home on March 22, 1997, where the teenagers planned to kill everyone inside.
Mark Duke fatally shot his 39-year-old father in the head, while Michael shot Hunt in the face. Although injured, 29-year-old Hunt fled upstairs with her daughters. Hunt and Chelisa sought shelter in an upstairs bathroom, while Chelsea hid under a bed.
Michael and Mark Duke ran after them, and Mark Duke shot and killed Hunt after he kicked in the bathroom door. Then, out of bullets, Mark Duke got two knives and pulled Chelisa from behind the shower curtain and slit her throat. The teens then pursued Chelsea, who was fighting back from under the bed. As she struggled, Mark Duke held her down and Michael slit her throat.
Mark Duke planned the murders after he got into a fight with his father over using a pickup truck. Mark Duke was also convicted and sentenced to death, but that sentence was later changed to life in prison without the possibility of parole because of Mark Duke's age at the time of the crime.i
Alabama AG Steve Marshall issued a statement following the execution, detailing the crime. He added, “Randy Duke was shot in the head. Dedra Hunt was shot multiple times as she attempted to flee with one of her daughters. Michael and Duke then proceeded to kill both of the young girls, cutting their throats. Michael was convicted of capital murder in 1998 and received his just punishment: a sentence of death. After too many years of delay, justice has finally been served."
VIDEO: No Witnesses (Mark Anthony Duke - Michael Brandon Samra) | https://youtu.be/-2q3ihzargA
i The Next to Die (2023). Available at: https://www.themarshallproject.org/next-to-die/al/exo3c077 (Accessed: 15 March 2023).