Christa Pike remained alive more than an hour after the state of Tennessee began its attempt to execute her on September 30, 2026. It was the latest in a series of troubled executions by the Tennessee ...

On September 28, 2026, Governor Bill Lee denied a clemency request from death-sentenced prisoner Christa Pike, who is scheduled to be executed on September 30. Gov. Lee announced, “[a]fter deliberate ...

In 1993, 17-year-old Christopher Simmons and Charlie Benjamin, 15, broke into the home of Shirley Crook. They bound her hands, covered her face with duct tape, took her to a railroad trestle spanning ...

A report in the Salt Lake City Tribune takes a different view of the suggestion that there have been no botched executions by firing squad. From Hal Schindler, “Taylor’s Death Was Quick … But Some ...

Eighteenth Century B.C. — first established death penalty laws. Eleventh Century A.D. — William the Conqueror will not allow persons to be hanged except in cases of murder. 1608 — Captain George ...

For in-depth analysis, view DPIC’s Report: The 2% Death Penalty: How a Minority of Counties Produce Most Death Cases at Enormous Costs to All. Although 28 states authorize the death penalty, it is ...

All executions were carried out by hanging until 1947, when George Sitts was executed by electrocution. Executions since 1976 have used lethal injection. 1877 — Jack McCall becomes the first person ...

Prior to 1899, executions in West Virginia were public and were carried out at the county level with minimal state involvement. Starting in 1899, all executions were carried out privately in the West ...

On March 30, 2026, the Supreme Court of Florida denied the state’s motion to lift the stay, explaining that the “circuit court continues to have concurrent jurisdiction to rule on motions related to ...

Some states carry out executions with a three-drug lethal-injection protocol. Others use a single drug. The three-drug protocol typically begins with an anesthetic or sedative, followed by a second ...