Arkansas Executes 4th Inmate In 8 Days
Kenneth Williams was the final inmate executed as the state sped up its schedule to beat the expiration date of its lethal-injection drugs.
death penalty
Justices Split Over Defendants' Right To Mental Health Expert Witnesses
Justice Anthony Kennedy appears likely to cast the deciding vote in a Supreme Court case involving a death row inmate's right to help from a mental health expert who is independent of the prosecution.
Amnesty Says 2016 Saw Fewer Executions But More Death Sentences
Amnesty estimates China killed more people than all the other countries put together. The U.S. fell off the list of the top five countries to carry out the death penalty for the first time since 2006.
States Find Other Execution Methods After Difficulties With Lethal Injection
Nationwide, the number and pace of executions are down, but states are looking at alternative, previous methods after restrictions have increased making the drugs for lethal injection hard to obtain.
Florida Governor Pulls Murder Cases From Prosecutor Who Shuns Death Penalty
Gov. Rick Scott is reassigning 21 first-degree murder cases from State Attorney Aramis Ayala, who says seeking capital punishment is not in the best interest of justice.
Arkansas Readies For 8 Executions, Despite Outcry Over Pace, Method
The state hasn't carried out an execution in more than a decade, but its supply of the sedative midazolam expires at the end of April. So it plans to execute eight men over 11 days.
Florida Gov. Removes State Attorney From Death Penalty Case
After saying she wouldn't seek the death penalty, a state attorney was removed from prosecuting a high-profile killing case by Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The state death penalty continues to be debated.
Citing 'Racial Stereotype,' Supreme Court Says Texas Inmate Can Appeal Death Sentence
Chief Justice John Roberts calls the case "a perfect storm" of circumstances that culminated in a lower court "making a decision on life or death on the basis of race."
Federal Judge Blocks Ohio's Lethal Injection Protocol
The judge rejected the state's use of midazolam, one of the drugs used in botched executions in Arizona, Ohio, Oklahoma and Alabama. The ruling puts Ohio's next three scheduled executions on hold.
Virginia Executes Convict With Drug From Anonymous Compounding Pharmacy
The execution of Ricky Gray on Wednesday was the first known instance of a state using midazolam, a sedative, that was not manufactured by a pharmaceutical company.