lethal injection
Coverage of lethal injection in the Nexus archive.
- Florida executes oldest death row inmate in state history as church leaders renew calls to end capital punishment
Florida executed Dusty Ray Spencer, its oldest death row inmate at 74, for his 1992 conviction of murdering his wife. Church leaders, including the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops and Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, urged Governor Ron DeSantis to end capital punishment, calling it unjust. Florida's execution rate has risen sharply since 2023 due to legislation allowing juries to recommend death sentences with an 8-4 vote.
- Alabama nitrogen gas ruling could reverberate beyond state
Federal courts blocked Alabama’s use of nitrogen gas in executions, ruling it causes unconstitutional suffering. The decision may discourage other states from adopting the method and could influence future execution practices, including potential shifts to firing squads.
- Alabama seeks lethal injection execution after court rejects nitrogen gas method
Alabama is attempting to execute a man using lethal injection after a court blocked the use of nitrogen gas. The state shifted methods following the court's intervention.
- Alabama seeks to execute man by lethal injection after court ruled against nitrogen method
Alabama seeks to execute Jeffery Lee via lethal injection after a court blocked his scheduled nitrogen hypoxia execution. The state requested a new death warrant, arguing it was not barred from carrying out the execution but only from using nitrogen gas. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to lift the injunction against the nitrogen method, but Alabama can proceed with lethal injection or the electric chair.
- Alabama seeks to execute man by lethal injection after court ruled against nitrogen method
Alabama is attempting to execute a man using lethal injection after a court blocked his scheduled nitrogen execution. The nitrogen method was prevented from proceeding hours before its planned implementation.
- Alabama seeks to execute man by lethal injection after court ruled nitrogen method is unconstitutionally cruel
Alabama plans to execute a man using lethal injection after a court determined that the nitrogen method of execution is unconstitutionally cruel. The state is switching execution methods following the ruling.
- Alabama seeks to execute man by lethal injection after court ruled against nitrogen method
Alabama seeks to execute Jeffery Lee using lethal injection after a court blocked his nitrogen hypoxia execution. The state requested a death warrant via lethal injection, citing that the nitrogen method was the only prohibited approach, while Lee’s legal team has not yet commented.
- Judge bars Alabama nitrogen gas execution, says method is unconstitutionally cruel
A federal judge permanently blocked Alabama from executing Jeffrey Lee with nitrogen gas, ruling the method unconstitutional. The state can use lethal injection, electric chair, or a firing squad instead. The decision may lead to a U.S. Supreme Court challenge.
- Judge bars Alabama nitrogen gas execution, says method is unconstitutionally cruel
A federal judge permanently blocked Alabama from executing Jeffery Lee using nitrogen gas, ruling the method unconstitutional as cruel and unusual punishment. The judge noted Alabama could use lethal injection or the electric chair instead, and the case may proceed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- What to know about the evolution of execution methods in the US
A federal appeals court ruled that Alabama's use of nitrogen gas for executions requires further study to determine if it violates the constitutional ban on cruel punishment. The decision highlights ongoing debates over execution methods in the U.S., including lethal injection, electrocution, and firing squads, as states grapple with legal and logistical challenges.
- Death row prisoner's execution dramatically halted after officials struggle to locate triple-murderer's vein for lethal drugs
A death row prisoner's execution was dramatically halted when officials were unable to locate a suitable vein to administer lethal injection drugs. The incident highlights ongoing challenges and controversies surrounding capital punishment methods in the United States.
- Death row prisoner's execution dramatically halted after officials struggle to locate triple-murderer's vein for lethal drugs
A death row prisoner's execution was dramatically halted when officials were unable to locate a suitable vein to administer lethal injection drugs. The incident involved a triple-murderer whose execution procedure was interrupted due to technical difficulties with the lethal injection process.
- Tennessee execution called off after failed lethal injection
Tony Carruthers was granted a one-year reprieve from execution in Tennessee after officials were unable to locate a vein for lethal injection. The failed execution procedure resulted in a temporary halt to his death sentence.
- Tennessee death row inmate spared execution after medics fail to find vein for lethal injection — gets one-year reprieve
A Tennessee death row inmate sentenced to death in 1996 for murder was spared execution after medical staff failed to locate a vein for lethal injection after more than an hour of attempts. The inmate, who experienced significant physical distress during the procedure, has been granted a one-year reprieve from execution.
- Tennessee stops execution after failing to find vein for lethal drugs
Tennessee halted the execution of Tony Carruthers on Thursday after officials were unable to locate a suitable vein for administering lethal injection drugs. The execution was called off due to technical complications in the lethal injection procedure.
- Tony Carruthers’ lawyers ask for execution to be stopped, say corrections can’t find vein for IV line
Tony Carruthers' legal team has filed an appeal to stop his execution, citing that corrections officials are unable to locate a vein for the intravenous line required for the lethal injection procedure. The appeal raises concerns about the ability to carry out the death sentence due to technical complications.
- North Texas man executed for 2004 killing of TCU professor
A North Texas man was executed for the 2004 killing of a TCU professor after the Supreme Court lifted a stay on his intellectual disability claims. The execution marks Texas' 600th lethal injection since 1982, with the decision coming from a divided Supreme Court.
- British wife screams 'I love you' and throws herself against execution chamber window as her US prison husband is given lethal injection
A British wife emotionally reacts to her husband's lethal injection execution in a U.S. prison by screaming 'I love you' and throwing herself against the execution chamber window. The incident highlights the tragic and distressing circumstances of the execution.
- DOJ reinstates firing squads, pentobarbital for federal executions
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the reinstatement of firing squads and pentobarbital as methods for federal executions, reviving protocols for lethal injection and capital punishment.
- Justice Department is bringing back firing squads in federal executions
The Department of Justice is reintroducing firing squads and lethal injection as methods for federal executions. This marks a return to execution practices not used in decades.
- Florida death row inmate uses last words to maintain innocence before execution
Chadwick Scott Willacy, a Florida death row inmate convicted of murdering his elderly neighbor in 1990, was executed by lethal injection after maintaining his innocence. The state used a three-drug lethal injection, and Willacy's case was referenced alongside other high-profile criminal cases like the Bryan Kohberger case.