execution

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Prosecutors Drop Death Penalty Bid for Mangione

Judge's dismissal of murder charge leaves life sentence possible in UnitedHealthcare case

(Newser) - Luigi Mangione will no longer face the possibility of execution in federal court over the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Manhattan federal prosecutors told a judge on Friday that they won't challenge a ruling that blocked them from seeking the death penalty, opting against an interlocutory appeal...

Florida Executes Man for 1986 Murder

Melvin Trotter stabbed, strangled a 70-year-old grocery store owner

(Newser) - A man convicted of killing a 70-year-old grocery store owner was put to death Tuesday in Florida, becoming the second person executed by the state this year after a record 19 executions in 2025. Melvin Trotter, 65, was pronounced dead at 6:15pm following a lethal injection at Florida State...

Oklahoma Carries Out 2nd US Execution of 2026

Kendrick Simpson killed 2 men in a drive-by shooting in 2006

(Newser) - A man who admitted to killing two men in a drive-by shooting in 2006 was put to death Thursday in Oklahoma's first execution of the year. Kendrick Simpson, 45, was pronounced dead at 10:19 CT following a three-drug injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, prison officials...

Florida Sets Its First Execution of 2026
Florida Carries Out Its
First Execution of 2026
UPDATED
Feb 10, 2026 5:37 PM CST

Florida Carries Out Its First Execution of 2026

Ronald Palmer Heath and his brother murdered a traveling salesman in 1989

(Newser) - A man convicted of killing a traveling salesman during a robbery was executed Tuesday evening in the first lethal injection this year in Florida. Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, was pronounced dead at 6:12pm following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, reports the AP . Heath was convicted...

Texas Executes Killer of 2
Texas Executes Killer of 2
Jan 28, 2026 7:45 PM CST

Texas Executes Killer of 2

Charles Victor Thompson, 55, becomes the first person executed in the US this year

(Newser) - A Texas man who once escaped custody and spent three days on the run after being sentenced to death for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend was put to death Wednesday, becoming the first person executed in the US this year. Charles Victor Thompson, 55, was pronounced dead...

Judge Opens Up Media Access for Tennessee Executions

Ruling expands existing access for reporters that offered limited viewing window

(Newser) - A judge ruled on Friday that Tennessee prison officials must grant expanded access to media members to view state-run executions, after a coalition of news groups, including the AP , sued over claims that state execution protocols unconstitutionally limit thorough and accurate reporting. Before Chancellor I'Ashea L. Myles' order, reporters...

Extremist Iranian Cleric: Trump Should Expect 'Hard Revenge'

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami also demanded death penalty for protesters in Friday sermon

(Newser) - A hardline cleric leading Friday prayers in Iran's capital demanded the death penalty for protesters detained in a nationwide crackdown and directly threatened President Trump, showing the rage gripping authorities in the Islamic Republic over demonstrations that have challenged their authority. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami's sermon, carried by Iranian...

Critics Slam Saudi Arabia's 'Grim Disregard' for Life

Kingdom had 356 executions in 2025

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia's tally of executions has climbed to a new high for the second year in a row, driven largely by an intensified anti-drug campaign. The kingdom put 356 people to death in 2025, according to official figures compiled by AFP, surpassing the 338 executions recorded in 2024. Of...

US Executed More People Than It Has Since 2009

Trump order, Supreme Court stance drive sharp rise in executions

(Newser) - US death chambers were busier in 2025 than at any point since 2009. States executed 47 men this year, nearly doubling last year's total. The Guardian reports the spike comes as public backing for capital punishment continues to ebb. A Gallup poll found 52% of Americans support the death...

Ex-Warden: Florida's Rapid Executions Risk Failure, Cruelty

Ron McAndrew highlights allegations of drug mishandling at Florida State Prison

(Newser) - Florida's death chamber isn't just busy —it's being pushed to a pace a former prison warden says the system can't safely handle. Ron McAndrew, who once ran Florida State Prison and oversaw three executions, is sounding that alarm in light of the lawsuit filed by...

Florida Executes Killer of 2
Florida Executes Killer of 2
Dec 18, 2025 5:45 PM CST

Florida Executes Killer of 2

Frank Athen Walls shot a man and a woman during a home invasion robbery

(Newser) - A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and his girlfriend during a home invasion robbery was put to death Thursday evening in a record 19th execution in Florida this year. Frank Athen Walls, 58, was pronounced dead at 6:11pm following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near...

After 37 Years on Death Row, Serial Killer's Execution Set

Frank Athen Walls to receive lethal injection in Florida's record 19th execution this year

(Newser) - Florida is preparing to put to death a man authorities say terrorized its Panhandle in the 1980s with a string of killings that became known as "the Tuesday murders." Frank Athen Walls is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Thursday, more than 40 years after he...

US Executions Hit 15-Year High in 2025

40% of them were in Florida

(Newser) - Executions are on hold in much of the country, but the national total just hit a 15-year high—and Florida is the main reason why. A new report from the nonpartisan Death Penalty Information Center says 2025 saw a spike in executions driven largely by Florida, which carried out 19...

Inmate Who Declined to Choose Method Executed

Tennessee inmate Harold Wayne Nichols was executed by lethal injection for 1988 murder

(Newser) - Tennessee executed Harold Wayne Nichols by lethal injection Thursday for the 1988 rape and murder of Karen Pulley, a 20-year-old student at Chattanooga State University. Nichols, 64, had confessed to killing Pulley as well as raping several other women in the Chattanooga area, the AP reports. Although he expressed remorse...

Florida Executes 18th Inmate of the Year
Florida Executes
Killer Handyman
Dec 9, 2025 6:06 PM CST

Florida Executes Killer Handyman

Victim's body was found by her 8-year-old son

(Newser) - A man convicted of fatally stabbing a woman during a home invasion decades ago was executed Tuesday evening in Florida. Mark Allen Geralds, 58, was pronounced dead at 6:15pm following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison for the February 1989 murder of Tressa Pettibone, the AP reports. The...

Utah: Prisoner With Dementia Won't Face Firing Squad
Inmate Who
Was Spared
Firing Squad
Dies
UPDATED
Nov 27, 2025 2:30 AM CST

Inmate Who Was Spared Firing Squad Dies

Lawyers argued Ralph Leroy Menzies couldn't understand why he was facing execution

(Newser) - A Utah man who was spared execution this fall after developing dementia during his 37 years on death row died Wednesday of apparent natural causes, according to the state's Department of Corrections. Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, was set to die by firing squad in September, but the Utah Supreme...

Florida Man Executed in 1988 Death of Former Boss

Richard Barry Randolph was trying to get into the safe at a convenience store

(Newser) - A man convicted of raping and fatal beating his manager at a Florida convenience store in 1988 was put to death Thursday evening in the state's record 17th execution this year. Richard Barry Randolph, 63, was pronounced dead at 6:12pm following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison...

Florida Isn't Holding Back on 2025 Executions

Ron DeSantis signs death warrant for Frank Walls, who will be state's 19th execution in 2025

(Newser) - A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and woman during a home invasion robbery and later confessing to three other killings is scheduled to be put to death in December under a death warrant signed Tuesday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who's setting a record pace for executions....

SC Carries Out 3rd Firing Squad Execution of the Year

Stephen Bryant killed 3 people in 2004

(Newser) - A South Carolina firing squad executed a man Friday, the third person to die by that method in the state this year. Three prison employees, all with live ammunition, volunteered to carry out the execution of Stephen Bryant, 44, who was pronounced dead at 6:05pm. Bryant killed three people...

After 11th-Hour Death Row Save, Inmate Found Unresponsive

Tremane Wood, 46, is recovering after medical scare in his cell

(Newser) - An Oklahoma inmate whose life was spared by the governor just moments before he was to receive a lethal injection on Thursday was later found unresponsive and rushed to receive medical attention, prison officials said. Wood was stable and alert Thursday evening, and prison officials don't suspect foul play....

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