death row

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Last-Minute Twists Delay Execution in Shaken Baby Case

Robert Roberson's execution was originally scheduled for Thursday night

(Newser) - The controversial execution of a Texas man convicted in a so-called " shaken baby syndrome " murder case was delayed with 90 minutes to spare before his scheduled lethal injection early Thursday night, though the eventual twists and turns into the case extended late into the evening. Robert Roberson has...

Glossip Has Unusual Ally in SCOTUS Fight

Both he and Oklahoma are pushing for new trial, citing prosecutorial misconduct

(Newser) - Glossip v. Oklahoma, a highly watched case before the Supreme Court, isn't quite what its name suggests. Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip is pushing for a new trial, arguing the one that resulted in his murder conviction and death sentence was rife with errors. But Oklahoma is of...

Country's 2nd Nitrogen Gas Execution Goes Forward

Alan Eugene Miller is put to death in Alabama

(Newser) - Alabama used nitrogen gas Thursday to execute a man convicted of killing three people in back-to-back workplace shootings, the second time the method that has generated debate about its humaneness has been used in the country, the AP reports. Alan Eugene Miller, 59, was pronounced dead at 6:38pm local...

Man Who's Been on Death Row the Longest Gets a Retrial
Boxer on Death Row for
Half a Century Goes Free
UPDATED
Sep 26, 2024 2:00 AM CDT

Boxer on Death Row for Half a Century Goes Free

Iwao Hakamada was sentenced to death in 1968 but long claimed confession was forced

(Newser) - An 88-year-old former Japanese boxer was on Thursday acquitted of the 1966 murders of his boss and the boss's family, reversing his wrongful conviction and bringing to an end a long legal saga, the AP reports. Iwao Hakamada spent 48 years imprisoned before he was released in 2014, when...

Texas Executes Man Who Killed 3-Month-Old Son

Travis Mullis waived his right to appeal death sentence

(Newser) - A Texas man who had waived his right to appeal his death sentence received a lethal injection Tuesday evening for killing his 3-month-old son more than 16 years ago, one of five executions scheduled within a week's time in the US. Travis Mullis, 38, was pronounced dead at 7:...

5 Inmates Scheduled to Die in a 7-Day Span

If all goes through, it would be the highest in the US in 20 years

(Newser) - Death row inmates in five states are scheduled to be put to death in the span of one week, an unusually high number of executions that defies a yearslong trend. If carried out as planned, the executions in Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas will mark the first time...

Witness Now Says Inmate to Be Executed Is Innocent

Co-defendant says Freddie Owens wasn't shooter in 1997 murder, which South Carolina's Supreme Court rejects

(Newser) - Earlier this month, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for Freddie Owens and kept him on the docket to be the first individual executed in the state in 13 years. This week, attorneys for the 46-year-old Owens, sentenced to death for the 1997 murder of a convenience...

John Grisham on Man 30 Days From Execution: There Was No Murder
Dozens Beg Texas
Not to Execute 'Innocent' Man
the rundown
Sep 18, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

Dozens Beg Texas Not to Execute 'Innocent' Man

More on the 'shaken baby syndrome' conviction of Robert Roberson

(Newser) - Despite much controversy , Robert Roberson is still scheduled to be executed in Texas on October 17 for the murder of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, in 2002—but support is coalescing around him. Roberson was convicted of killing the toddler via the now-widely-discredited "shaken baby syndrome," but...

Death Row Inmate Says He Doesn't Want 'Invasive Autopsy'
Death Row Inmate Who
Sued Over His Autopsy Wins
UPDATED
Jul 15, 2024 9:45 AM CDT

Death Row Inmate Who Sued Over His Autopsy Wins

Alabama still plans to execute devout Muslim Keith Gavin, but won't carry out post-mortem procedure

(Newser) - Alabama will break with protocol and not perform an autopsy on a death row inmate who sued the state, saying the procedure would violate his Islamic beliefs. Keith Gavin, to be executed this week, sought a court order to block an autopsy, saying it would violate a tenant of Islam...

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...

Alabama Sets Date for 2nd Execution by Nitrogen Gas

Alan Eugene Miller is suing to block the execution, now scheduled for September

(Newser) - Alabama death row inmate Alan Eugene Miller is now scheduled to become the second person in the US executed by nitrogen gas, reports CBS News . Gov. Kay Ivey set the date for Sept. 26, per the AP . The governor's action comes a week after the Alabama Supreme Court authorized...

Prosecutors Hid Evidence in Convicting Mom of Murder

Texas death row inmate Melissa Lucio, convicted of killing her toddler, could now go free

(Newser) - The judge who presided over Melissa Lucio's 2008 murder trial following the death of her 2-year-old daughter now says the conviction should be thrown out. State District Judge Arturo Nelson recommended on Friday that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturn Lucio's conviction and death sentence, in response...

With Hours Left, SCOTUS Rejects Inmate's Appeals
Missouri Executes
Brian Dorsey
UPDATED
Apr 9, 2024 6:47 PM CDT

Missouri Executes Brian Dorsey

SCOTUS rejected 2 appeals

(Newser) - This story has been updated with news of Dorsey's execution. Missouri inmate Brian Dorsey was executed Tuesday evening after the US Supreme Court declined to intervene. The court turned down two appeals by Dorsey's lawyers, one arguing that their client did not have proper legal representation by his...

Missouri Governor Denies Clemency for Brian Dorsey

Prison guards, jurors, and a judge had called for inmate's life to be spared

(Newser) - Despite the chorus of calls to grant clemency to Brian Dorsey, Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson decided not to prevent the execution scheduled for Tuesday. "Governor Parson has chosen to ignore the wealth of information before him showing that Brian Dorsey is uniquely deserving of mercy," Dorsey'...

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...

SCOTUS Unanimously Declines to Stop Execution

Willie James Pye is first inmate executed in Georgia since early 2020

(Newser) - A Georgia man convicted of the killing of his former girlfriend three decades ago was put to death Wednesday evening in the state's first execution in more than four years. Willie James Pye, 59, received an injection of the sedative pentobarbital and was pronounced dead at 11:03pm at...

Case Highlights a Quirk in Georgia's Death Penalty

The state requires intellectual disability be proved 'beyond a reasonable doubt'

(Newser) - Georgia is planning its first execution in more than four years this month—as activists petition for it to be halted. Willie James Pye is set to be put to death on March 20 for the November 1993 killing of ex-girlfriend Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. Georgians for Alternatives to the Death...

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...

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