death penalty

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He May Be First Executed Over 'Shaken Baby Syndrome'

Robert Roberson is scheduled to die in October, though science behind his conviction is disputed

(Newser) - The science behind what we know as "shaken baby syndrome" has been called into question in recent years, and the controversy is about to reenter the spotlight in a big way in Texas. There, Robert Roberson is scheduled to be executed on October 17 over the death of his...

Treason Charge Means Protesters Face Death Penalty

Amnesty International official rips Nigeria's 'trumped-up charges'

(Newser) - At least 10 protesters in Nigeria faced a possible death penalty on Monday after being charged with treason over their participation in recent demonstrations against the country's worst-in-a-generation economic crisis. The protesters were arraigned in the capital, Abuja, and accused of acting "with intent to destabilize Nigeria …...

Utah Executes Inmate for First Time in 14 Years

Taberon Honie was put to death by lethal injection in Salt Lake City

(Newser) - A Utah man who killed his girlfriend's mother by slashing her throat was put to death by lethal injection on Thursday in the state's first execution since 2010. Taberon Dave Honie, 48, was convicted of aggravated murder in the July 1998 death of Claudia Benn, the maternal grandmother...

Texas Executes Man Who Claimed Intellectual Disability

Arthur Lee Burton killed a woman jogging near her Houston home in 1997

(Newser) - A Texas man who claimed an intellectual disability in a late attempt at a reprieve was executed Wednesday evening for the killing of a woman who was jogging near her Houston home more than 27 years ago, the AP reports. Arthur Lee Burton, 54, received a lethal injection at the...

SC Supreme Court Deems 3 Execution Methods Legal

Gives OK to firing squad, lethal injection, electric chair

(Newser) - The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state's death penalty, which now includes a firing squad as well as lethal injection and the electric chair, is legal. All five justices agreed with at least part of the ruling, opening the door to restart executions in a state...

Inmate's Last Words: 'I Love My Family'

Alabama executes Keith Edmund Gavin, who killed a man during a robbery in 1998

(Newser) - A man convicted of fatally shooting a delivery driver during a robbery attempt in 1998 was executed by chemical injection Thursday in Alabama, reports the AP . Keith Edmund Gavin, 64, was pronounced dead at 6:32pm at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in southwest Alabama, authorities said. He was...

Report: Texas Bought Its Execution Drug From 'Pill Mill'

NPR probe finds state scooped up pentobarbital made by San Antonio compound pharmacy

(Newser) - When Texas tried in the past to get its hands on pentobarbital, a drug used in lethal injections there to mixed success, pharmaceutical companies said they wanted no part of the execution circuit. The state apparently found another conduit. After a review of federal DEA records and files from the...

On Executions, More Should Follow Connecticut's Lead

Austin Sarat writes a piece in favor of a planned bill in the state

(Newser) - Connecticut became the 17th state to abolish capital punishment in 2012, and some of its lawmakers are looking to double down on that anti-death penalty stance. In a piece for Slate , Austin Sarat looks at the legislative push and encourages "legislators in other abolitionist states" to follow Connecticut's...

After 'Years of Effort,' Indiana's Death Penalty May Resume

Officials finally get hands on pentobarbital for lethal injections, though it's not clear from where

(Newser) - The state of Indiana hasn't put someone to death in 15 years, but that streak is soon about to be broken. GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb announced on Wednesday that he and fellow Republican Todd Rokita, the state's attorney general, are seeking to execute 49-year-old Joseph Corcoran, with Rokita...

Texas Executes Prisoner Who Murdered His Dealer's Girlfriend

Ramiro Gonzales' appeal for clemency was denied

(Newser) - Ramiro Gonzales, the Texas death row inmate who once made headlines with his desire to donate a kidney before his death, was executed in the state Wednesday. Gonzales, 41, sexually assaulted and murdered 18-year-old Bridget Townsend, the girlfriend of his drug dealer, in 2001. His attorneys and other supporters had...

One Country Carried Out 74% of 2023&#39;s Known Executions
One Country Imposed 74%
of 2023's Known Executions
in case you missed it
Jun 2, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

One Country Imposed 74% of 2023's Known Executions

With China excluded, Iran led the world last year, according to Amnesty International

(Newser) - The number of executions carried out around the world jumped to an eight-year high in 2023, largely due to a single country, according to Amnesty International . Though the number of countries delivering death penalties fell to an all-time low of 16, Amnesty logged at least 1,153 executions last year,...

Alabama Switches to Injection After a Nitrogen Gas Execution

Jamie Ray Mills was convicted of killing an elderly couple

(Newser) - Alabama carried out its second execution of the year on Thursday, months after the nation's first execution via nitrogen gas . Jamie Ray Mills, 50, was pronounced dead at 6:26pm after receiving a three-drug injection at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in southwest Alabama, authorities said, the AP...

US Offers Assurances on Assange. His Wife Is Skeptical

'Blatant weasel words,' Stella Assange says of vow from US that's meant to jump-start extradition

(Newser) - The United States made its deadline Tuesday, providing London's High Court with the assurances needed to jump-start Julian Assange's extradition from the UK. The WikiLeaks founder's wife, however, isn't exactly buying it, reports Reuters .
  • Backstory: Last month, two judges said that Australia's Assange—who was
...

Supreme Court Case Tests 'Sex Shaming' Defense

Prosecutors highlighted sex life of Brenda Andrew, now on death row

(Newser) - The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from the only woman on Oklahoma's death row this month, and the case may set a precedent in regard to prosecutors focusing on a defendant's sex life. Coverage:
  • The inmate: Brenda Andrew, 60, was sentenced to death in 2004 after being
...

Mass Murderer on Death Row Asks to Be Executed
Alabama Inmate
Asks to Be Executed
Apr 5, 2024 5:55 AM CDT

Alabama Inmate Asks to Be Executed

Mass murderer Derrick Dearman says he wants the families of his victims to have closure

(Newser) - A death row inmate in Alabama says he wants to be executed so the families of the people he massacred in 2016 can have closure. Derrick Dearman tells NBC News that he has sent letters to Gov. Kay Ivey and other officials to let them know he is dropping his...

New Louisiana Law Allows 2 More Execution Methods
Louisiana Nixes
Most Future
Parole
Mar 8, 2024 1:55 PM CST

Louisiana Nixes Most Future Parole

New law applies to anyone convicted after Aug. 1; another bill allows for 2 more execution methods

(Newser) - As Louisiana's attorney general last year, Jeff Landry pushed back hard against efforts to commute the sentences of the state's death row inmates. As governor, the Republican signed a bill this week to allow two more execution methods in the state, NOLA.com reports. "This is what...

Texas Inmate's Last Words: I Didn't Do It

Ivan Cantu has long claimed he didn't kill his cousin, cousin's girlfriend

(Newser) - A Texas man who had long claimed his conviction more than 20 years ago was based on false testimony and questionable evidence was executed Wednesday for fatally shooting two people, including his cousin, the AP reports. Ivan Cantu received a lethal injection and was pronounced dead at 6:47pm at...

One of Longest-Serving Death Row Inmates Set to Die Today

Thomas Eugene Creech has been imprisoned since 1974

(Newser) - The hour of Thomas Eugene Creech's death has been set, and it is rapidly approaching. On Wednesday morning, Idaho prison officials will ask the 73-year-old if he would like a mild sedative to help calm him before his execution at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution south of Boise. Then,...

A New State Considers Controversial Execution Method

Ohio could join Alabama, which was the first to use nitrogen method

(Newser) - Another state could soon join Alabama in using a controversial new execution method. Ohio, where executions have been paused since 2018 due to problems obtaining lethal injection drugs, is considering the use of nitrogen gas executions, USA Today reports. Two Republican state representatives have introduced legislation that would allow death...

Smith Execution Took 22 Minutes
Alabama Execution
Took 22 Minutes
THE RUNDOWN
Jan 26, 2024 6:37 AM CST

Alabama Execution Took 22 Minutes

Kenneth Smith appeared to remain conscious for minutes during world's first execution by nitrogen gas

(Newser) - Before Alabama inmate Kenneth Smith was put to death in the world's first nitrogen gas execution , officials predicted that the gas would cause him to lose consciousness in seconds. That wasn't what happened in the death chamber Thursday night. The AP reports that "Smith appeared to remain...

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