Death Penalty News

A 24-year-old man faces the possibility of life in prison after a federal grand jury indicted him for the murder of a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier in Decatur. A federal grand jury has returned a two-count indictment against 24-year-old Nahjel Malik Williams in connection with the February shooting death of a United States Postal Service employee.  Williams, a resident of Decatur, faces charges of first-degree murder of a federal employee and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death. The indictment follows an investigation into the Feb. 12 killing of Dequavious Graves. Graves was performing his official duties as a letter carrier in Decatur when the incident occurred. Premeditation Graves, 31, was shot and killed in the 2700 block of Oxford Drive near Flat Shoals Road just before 7 p.m. while performing his job. Federal prosecutors allege the killing of the letter carrier was planned in advance. At the time Graves was killed, Williams was already wan...

The capital murder trial of Tanner Horner is over, but for Athena Strand's family, the grief and trauma are far from done. After weeks of emotional testimony and graphic evidence, Horner was sentenced to death this week for the murder of 7‑year‑old Athena Strand. The case that shook North Texas now moves into a new phase, one legal experts say could last for years. Christy Jack, a partner at Varghese Summersett who has handled multiple death penalty cases, said cases involving children carry a weight unlike almost any other.

TEHRAN, May 7: A law approved in Iran last October has accelerated death penalty proceedings by granting judges broad authority to interpret espionage and treason cases, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing Iranian human rights lawyer Amir Raesian. Raesian said the legislation uses vague wording that gives courts wide discretion in capital cases. “Terms in the new law, such as ‘any operational acts’, give judges an almost unlimited scope for interpretation, allowing them to issue death sentences without restriction,” he was quoted as saying. He added that the law has led to harsher verdicts and faster judicial proceedings.

Gonzalo Leon Jr., 43, was initially charged by prosecutors with murder in connection with the 2025 death of 11-year-old Julian Guzman in Houston, but is now set to stand trial on an upgraded charge of capital murder A Texas man accused of fatally shooting an 11-year-old boy over a ding-dong-ditch prank could now face the death penalty. Gonzalo Leon Jr., 43, was initially charged by prosecutors with murder in the connection with the 2025 death of Julian Guzman in Houston, but is now set to stand trial on an upgraded charge of capital murder, according to reports from Houston Public Media, FOX 26 Houston and KHOU-TV.

Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is fighting for her life after being hospitalised under guard for the last five days with a heart condition, her supporters said on Tuesday. A support committee for Narges Mohammadi, who is imprisoned in Iran, said on Tuesday, May 5, that she was “between life and death”. Mohammadi's deteriorating health has raised the worst fears among those close to her. Now in her early 50s, Mohammadi won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize while in detention for her campaign in favour of women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty in Iran. She ⁠suffered a suspected heart attack in late March and was taken to a hospital in northwestern Iran on May 1 amid rapidly deteriorating ‌health, her family has said.

WASHINGTON, Apr 24, CMC –  The Inter-American Commission for Human rights (IACHR) is renewing its call for Barbados to  abolish the death penalty,  acknowledging that no  execution has been carried out since 1984. In its 2025 annual report released here, the IACHR, an autonomous body of the Organization of American States that “there has been no progress in the removal of the death penalty from the statute book” and once again “calls on the State to abolish  capital punishment”.

FLORIDA — The Florida Supreme Court has ordered additional DNA analysis in the decades-old death penalty case of James Duckett, a decision that could delay his execution further and renew questions about the conviction. Reporting from the Tampa Bay Times indicates the ruling comes more than a month after Duckett had been scheduled for execution in connection with the 1987 rape and murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee. Previous reporting by the Tampa Bay Times discussed how Duckett was convicted in 1988 in Lake County and has maintained his innocence for decades. The case has drawn increased scrutiny in recent months after a death warrant was issued and later paused amid ongoing disputes over DNA testing that defense attorneys argue could be critical to determining guilt or innocence.

Iran's security agents secretly buried the body of Iranian-Swedish citizen Kourosh Keyvani in the Khavaran area outside Tehran after he was executed in March on charge of spying for Israel, sources familiar with the matter told Iran International. The sources said Keyvani was executed on the morning of March 18 without his family being informed, and his body was buried on March 23 in Khavaran. Keyvani’s family later tried to mark the unmarked gravesite by placing stones nearby, but authorities removed them to prevent the burial location from being identified, the sources told Iran International.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit has rejected the latest appeal from Briley Piper, the only person on death row in South Dakota. In March 2000, Briley Piper, along with co-defendants Elijah Page and Darrell Hoadley, conspired to burglarize the Lawrence County home of 19-year-old Chester Poage before abducting and murdering him by beating, stabbing, and stoning in a remote area.  Piper was subsequently arrested, convicted of murder, and sentenced to death, while his accomplices received either a death sentence—carried out against Page in 2007—or a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. 

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 4 May 2026: Jamal Hassanzadeh, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Rasht Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Rasht (Lakan) Central Prison on 29 April 2026. His identity has been established as Jamal Hassanzadeh, a 37-year-old father of one. Informed sources told IHRNGO that he been arrested four years ago on murder charges following an unintentional altercation and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 4 May 2026: Peyman Mohammadi, Mohammadreza Mohammadi, Abbas Rahimi Azar and Mehdi Badfar, four men on death row for murder, were executed in Isfahan Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, four men were hanged in Isfahan (Dastgerd) Central Prison on 3 May 2026. Their identities have been established as 37-year-old Peyman Mohammadi, 41-year-old Mohammadreza Mohammadi, 29-year-old Abbas Rahimi Azar, an Isfahan native, and 33-year-old Mehdi Badfar. They were all sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

Horner, 35, pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping The sentencing trial of former FedEx driver Tanner Horner enters its final week Monday in a Tarrant County courtroom in Fort Worth as jurors prepare to decide whether he will receive the death penalty or life in prison without parole for the 2022 kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand. Horner, 35, pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping on April 7, 2026, just as jury selection wrapped and testimony was set to begin. 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a death warrant for Andrew Richard Lukehart, 53, who is scheduled to be executed for the 1996 murder of his girlfriend’s 5-month-old daughter, Gabrielle Hanshaw. The warrant schedules Lukehart’s execution by lethal injection to occur between noon, June 2, and noon, June 9. The procedure will take place at Florida State Prison in Starke. Lukehart was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in 1997. According to trial testimony and court records, the infant died in February 1996 after Lukehart, who was changing her diaper, became frustrated when she would not lie flat. Lukehart testified at his trial that he “forcefully and repeatedly” pushed the infant’s head and neck to the floor.

Mississippi Senate Bill 2821 (2026 Regular Session) creates the new crime of capital sexual battery. It authorizes the death penalty (or life without parole if the death penalty is not imposed) for the most severe cases. The bill was approved by the Governor and takes effect on July 1, 2026. PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - Under current Mississippi law, the death penalty is only applicable in cases of murder. Effective July 1, there will be another capital offense on the books: capital sexual battery.

The ACLU is asking state and federal courts to order DNA and fingerprint analysis they say could prove innocence Death row exonerees and innocence advocates are calling on Gov. Bill Lee to halt the May 21 execution of Tony Carruthers to allow for DNA testing on evidence his attorneys said could prove his innocence.  “[DNA] doesn’t take sides,” Tennessee Innocence Project Executive Director Jason Gichner said. “It’s not pro-prosecution, it’s not pro-defense. Law enforcement uses DNA all the time to solve cold cases and at the same time we can use DNA to vindicate innocent people by testing evidence to prove that they didn’t commit the crime.” 

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 4 May 2026: State media reported that Ebrahim Dolatabadinejad, Mehdi Rasouli and Mohammadreza Miri, three protesters arrested in connection with the 8 and 9 January protests in Mashhad, were executed at an undisclosed location. Since 18 March, at least 24 political prisoners and four people accused of espionage, have been executed. 13 of the executed political prisoners were protesters, 12 of whom were arrested in connection with the January protests, and one in relation with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests.

The father of a four-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered in Nasrapur, Pune district, Maharashtra, on May 3 requested political leaders to refrain from visiting his home until his daughter receives justice and the accused is sentenced to death. In a self-recorded video, the father made a “humble request” on behalf of his family, asking that no politicians come to offer condolences at this time. He said the family would only meet politicians once justice is served in the case. “We are currently in Dehu to immerse my daughter’s ashes. During this time, I’ve been informed by relatives and friends that several politicians have been visiting our home to offer condolences etc. I want to make one humble request on behalf of my family and myself until my daughter receives justice and the accused is awarded the death penalty, no politician should come to our home to meet us. We will only be open to meeting anyone, including politicians, once justice is served. Until t...

Iran has executed two more individuals on charges of “spying for Israel”, as a new wave of executions continues in the country. The development comes as Iran’s judiciary chief dismissed international pressure to halt executions, saying authorities would show “no leniency” in carrying out sentences. According to Iranian media, Yaqoub Karimpour and Nasser Bakarzadeh were executed after being convicted of cooperation with Israel.

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho’s prison system has nearly completed execution chamber upgrades to carry out the death penalty by firing squad as the state’s lead method and will have a team of riflemen ready to go by the time a state law takes effect this summer. As part of the transition, the Idaho Department of Correction hopes to limit participation by its officers as the shooting of condemned people in prison to death is prioritized over lethal injection. Toward that effort, prisoner leadership sought to implement a push-button technology to avoid needing IDOC workers to pull the triggers.