Death Row: the Death Penalty and Executions

[phkrause]

Texas man executed for the ‘exorcism’ killing of his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas man was executed Thursday for killing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter in a torturous ordeal the couple said was part of an “exorcism” to expel a demon from the child’s body.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-execution-blaine-milam-exorcism-killing-330e96315b326ec24c5abf16130eff86?

[phkrause]

Record 13th Florida execution this year carried out on man convicted of killing a couple

STARKE — A man convicted of killing a married couple during a robbery in South Florida in 1990 was put to death Tuesday in a record 13th execution this year in the state.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/29/florida-man-convicted-of-fatally-stabbing-married-couple-in-1990-robbery-is-set-to-be-executed/?

[phkrause]

Tennessee court sets execution date for the state’s only woman on death row and 3 male inmates

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court on Tuesday set execution dates for four people, including the only woman in the state on death row.

https://apnews.com/article/execution-death-penalty-tennessee-christa-pike-beecd469ce84c21849fc462991885eaa?

[phkrause]

Texas appeals court again pauses execution of Robert Roberson in shaken baby case

HOUSTON (AP) — Texas’ top criminal court on Thursday again paused the execution of Robert Roberson, just days before he was set to become the first person in the U.S. put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-execution-shaken-baby-roberson-7a43e4620e3bfd0dda5a825fc7c00bbb?

[phkrause]

Man convicted of killing a 15-year-old girl in her home in 2001 is executed by injection in Indiana

CHICAGO (AP) — An Indiana man convicted in the 2001 rape and murder of a teenage girl was executed by injection early Friday in the state’s third execution since resuming capital punishment last year.

https://apnews.com/article/execution-indiana-injection-9bf50dddd2cf881ae55396e1af244a33?

[phkrause]

Florida carries out record 14th execution this year on man convicted of killing 2 women

STARKE (AP) — A man convicted of the 1996 killings of two women whose bodies were left in a rural pond was put to death Tuesday evening in a record 14th execution in Florida this year.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/14/florida-man-convicted-of-killing-2-women-whose-bodies-were-found-in-a-pond-is-set-to-be-executed/?

[phkrause]

Alabama executes man with nitrogen gas for 1993 murder over $200 drug debt

ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man convicted of helping to burn a man alive in 1993 over a $200 drug debt was executed by nitrogen gas on Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/alabama-execution-nitrogen-gas-85850653469135f1a8c7482ca0d4f990?

[phkrause]

Florida man executed for the 1979 killing of a girl, 6, who was abducted from her bedroom

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of the 1979 killing a 6-year-old girl who was abducted from her bedroom was put to death Thursday evening in a record 16th execution in Florida this year.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/13/florida-man-executed-for-the-1979-killing-of-a-girl-6-who-was-abducted-from-her-bedroom/

[phkrause]

Tennessee death row inmate Harold Wayne Nichols asks governor for life in prison instead

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys for Tennessee death row inmate Harold Wayne Nichols are asking the governor to convert his sentence to life imprisonment with just a month until his scheduled execution date.

https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-death-row-harold-wayne-nichols-execution-382fb1ba695a5736c8f778bbf7c7e6dd?

[phkrause]

Florida man executed for killing his former manager at a convenience store

RAIFORD – Richard Randolph died by lethal injection Thursday at 6:12 p.m. inside the Union Correctional Institution. More than three decades ago, he was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of the manager of a Putnam County gas station during a robbery.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/20/florida-man-executed-for-killing-his-former-manager-at-a-convenience-store/?

[phkrause]

At 17, She Gave Up Her Son. Sixty Years Later, She Found Him on Death Row.

Sandra never knew what happened to the child she had at 17.

https://theintercept.com/2025/11/20/malik-abdul-sajjad-richard-randolph-florida-executions-desantis/?

[phkrause]

Louisiana death row inmate released on bail after decades behind bars

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana man who spent nearly three decades on death row has been released on bail Wednesday after his conviction was overturned earlier this year.

https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-death-row-jimmie-duncan-bite-5fb311484f9f1f45be0539770670f831?

[phkrause]

The Death Penalty: Do we ever have the right to kill people?

Every few weeks we host a discussion group in our home. Subjects vary widely, and different members present. A few months ago one of us chose to discuss the death penalty. 

https://atoday.org/the-death-penalty-do-we-ever-have-the-right-to-kill-people/

[phkrause]

Despite Declining Support for the Death Penalty, Executions Nearly Doubled in 2025, Report Says

Public support for capital punishment continued a decadeslong decline in 2025, dropping to the lowest level recorded in 50 years.

https://theintercept.com/2025/12/15/death-penalty-executions-2025/?

[phkrause]

Man, 74, becomes oldest inmate executed in Florida in state’s 10th lethal injection this year

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — Florida put to death one of its oldest prisoners in its history on Tuesday, a 74-year-old convicted murderer who was one of three older inmates scheduled for execution within the span of a month in the nation’s busiest death penalty state.

https://apnews.com/article/florida-execution-dennis-sochor-68549202a2f747dde708bbdcd89a7c69?

[phkrause]

⚖️ Death penalty resurgence

Data: Death Penalty Information Center. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals Florida yesterday executed its 14th prisoner this year, adding to a post-COVID surge in capital punishment that drove more executions last year than any year since 2009, Axios' Avery Lotz writes. Even as fewer courts sentence defendants to death and more than half of the states have banned or at least temporarily halted the practice, the Trump administration has overtly cheered on the death penalty. By the numbers: 47 people were executed last year, 19 in Florida. 24 people have been executed this year, with 10 more scheduled. Keep reading.

[phkrause]

Tennessee governor halts executions after Christa Gail Pike survives lethal injection attempt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee officials were unable to put Christa Gail Pike to death Wednesday for a 1995 murder after administering two doses of a lethal drug. A death penalty expert said it was an unprecedented failure, and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee halted the one remaining execution for the rest of the year.

https://apnews.com/article/christa-pike-execution-tennessee-f826a60582083b90ac7695ecb16afbdf?

[phkrause]

Christa Pike is in critical condition after Tennessee’s failed execution attempt, her lawyers say Christa Pike was receiving “lifesaving care” at a hospital Thursday, her lawyers said, a day after a failed attempt to execute her pushed Tennessee’s governor to halt further executions this year and order an independent review. Read more.

What to know: The Associated Press was among those who witnessed her failed execution, which one death penalty expert described as unprecedented. It was not immediately clear what went wrong. Attorney Randy Spivey said the execution team worked for an hour to administer the lethal drugs. Spivey called the process cruel and torturous. May Martinez, whose daughter was murdered by Pike and her boyfriend in 1995 and who traveled to Nashville to watch the execution, was also upset. “I didn’t get justice for my daughter,” Martinez told The Associated Press on Thursday.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: What AP witnessed during the failed lethal injection How Christa Pike’s failed execution unfolded, minute-by-minute Pentobarbital, the drug used in the failed execution, has come under past scrutiny Many states have backup execution plans, but failures still happen

[Hanseng]

13 hours ago, phkrause said:

. It was not immediately clear what went wrong.

What went wrong was allowing executions to become a medical matter instead of a law enforcement issue. Some countries have routine executions without problem. A bullet to the back of the head is about as foolproof as one can get.

If they had medical personnel on staff who knew enough about intravenous infusions, they would have realized when the victim started complaining about pain in her arm. It is called extravasation. The blood flows into the body rather than the vein. Starting IVs can be tricky. Most hospitals specially train and certify nurses to do difficult insertions. They develop and maintain their skills through continuous practice.

The real problem is  administration who have refused to have special executions teams with IV skills. Better yet, insist that executions be carried out by law enforcement personnel. Don't fool around with 9mm slugs. Use a .45.

[Hanseng]

On local media, numerous execution videos have appeared. Surprising how many attractive young women finish their lives with a bullet to the back of the head. Some take place in a public area with numerous witnesses not connected to the crimes. Used to be that condemned criminals were driven around the community in the back of a truck, prior to the execution. Other executions occur in a place with a freshly dug grave. Romans 13 says civil authorities bearing the sword are a terror to evil doers. Civil libertarians in the US dispute that. Of course, in the US, where people hang around death row for 20 years or more, it may not be a deterrent. It doesn't mean the Bible is wrong. It means that the way the death penalty is implemented is wrong. If you were an attractive young woman thinking about running a prostitution/ robbery/murder scheme, seeing one of your colleagues getting her brains blown out might inspire you to attend hairdressing school, i.e., the deterrent effect.

The murderer suffers from PTSD and bipolar disorder? All the more reason she should be put to death. People with mental problems that cause them to kill are prime candidates for condemnation to death.

[Hanseng]

Christa Pike on a ventilator after failed Tennessee execution | AP News

 

 

[phkrause]

2 hours ago, Hanseng said:

Christa Pike on a ventilator after failed Tennessee execution | AP News

So now we have to pay to keep her alive??

Tennessee’s prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa Pike

The head of Tennessee’s prison system is resigning, Gov. Bill Lee announced Saturday, the first major staff shake-up since Christa Pike’s stunning failed execution left her unconscious and on a ventilator at a hospital.

https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-corrections-execution-christa-pike-456e4c5e3e203be44744bcf839c11d4f?