Death Penalty News

DPI’s ​“What to Know” series exam­ines cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment from mul­ti­ple angles, one top­ic at a time.  Each install­ment pro­vides essen­tial facts and data on spe­cif­ic aspects of the death penalty. Why it mat­ters : Deterrence is among the most com­mon­ly cit­ed jus­ti­fi­ca­tions for the death penal­ty, yet decades of research have failed to pro­duce cred­i­ble evi­dence that use of the death penal­ty has an impact on homicide rates. Key Facts: 88% of the nation’s lead­ing crim­i­nol­o­gists said they did not believe the death penal­ty deters homi­cides. Just 9% agreed that ​“the death penal­ty sig­nif­i­cant­ly reduces the num­ber of homicides.” When states have abol­ished the death penal­ty, mur­der rates have not fol­lowed any con­sis­tent pat­tern of change. Rates in states that for­mer­ly retained the death penal­ty fol­low nation­al trends rather than spik­ing or falling after abolition.

Cedric Ricks is set to be killed on March 11 Cedric Ricks spoke in his own defense at his 2013 murder trial, something most defendants accused of a terrible crime do not do. Ricks confessed that he had killed his girlfriend, Roxann Sanchez, and her 8-year-old son. He admitted he was aggressive and had trouble controlling his anger, stating that he was “sorry about everything.” The Tarrant County jury was unmoved. Ricks has spent the last 13 years on death row and is scheduled to be executed on March 11.

Prosecutors have filed paperwork indicating they will seek the death penalty against a Cape Coral man accused of killing his mother Devin Johnson, 28, faces charges of capital first-degree murder; aggravated abuse of an elderly or disabled adult; fleeing and eluding; and driving while his license was suspended. Court records show that Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner on Jan. 20 filed the state's intent to seek death against Johnson. When Johnson's siblings could not reach their mother, they headed to her Cape Coral home and followed bloody footprints to her body, officials said.

Attorneys for Alabama death row inmate Charles Lee “Sonny” Burton are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case, arguing he was deprived of choosing his trial defense and that the state introduced inadmissible evidence during that trial.  In a separate filing addressed to Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Burton’s attorneys also requested a stay of execution until that review is done.  Burton’s attorneys said in their filing on Friday that the Talladega County trial court deprived Burton of counsel by forcing his attorneys at the time to call two of his co-defendants as witnesses, even though it was “against their strategic judgment.”

Senate bill would replace capital punishment with life without parole  Two Kentucky state senators have introduced legislation that would eliminate the death penalty in the commonwealth, replacing it with mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole or probation.  Senate Bill 350 was introduced by Senators Gerald Neal and Stephen Meredith. Neal, a Louisville Democrat, said he has been advocating for the measure since 2012. “Basically, it substitutes life without parole as opposed to the death penalty itself,” Neal said.

Florida executes man who killed Fort Pierce police officer during 1991 traffic stop Moments before receiving a lethal injection, Billy Kearse asked for forgiveness from the family of Danny Parrish, whose widow said she found peace after a "long, long 35 years.” A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop was executed Tuesday evening, becoming the third person put to death by Florida this year after a record 19 executions in 2025.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 2 March 2026: Three days into the war by the United States and Israel against Iran, prisoners are being subjected to additional restrictions while concerns have intensified regarding the risk of harm to prisoners as a result of military strikes or possible retaliatory actions by the authorities. In particular, the families of a number of detainees have expressed serious concern about the safety of their loved ones. In addition, tens of thousands of protesters arrested in connection with the December 2025/January 2026 nationwide protests are being held in facilities run by the Ministry of Intelligence and the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), some of which have reportedly been amongst the targets of recent military attacks, further increasing concerns regarding their safety.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Ohio has not gone through with an execution since July 2018, closing in on eight years, and extending the entirety of Gov. Mike DeWine’s tenure. DeWine has postponed every one since January 2019, some more than once. In his last year as governor, the longtime Republican elected official is hinting at coming out against the death penalty in practice. If he does, it won’t be an easy sell among lawmakers, at least in the Ohio House. A slow-growing contingent of Republican lawmakers are for abolishing executions, but House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said it’s not a majority of the caucus.

Federal prosecutors will seek capital punishment for the kidnapping, carjacking and killing of Florence County Paramedic Phonesia Machado-Fore FLORENCE, S.C. — Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a South Carolina man charged in the 2024 kidnapping, carjacking and killing of a Florence County paramedic, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina filed a notice of intent to seek capital punishment against Jaremy Alexander Smith, 35, of Marion. A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment on Feb. 24.

A man who confessed to fatally shooting Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish with his own service weapon during a 1991 traffic stop is scheduled to be executed starting at 6 p.m. March 3, barring a last-minute stay. Billy L. Kearse, 53, will be the third person put to death by the state this year, just one week after the execution of Melvin Trotter, who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for strangling and stabbing Virgie Langford in Palmetto in 1986. The Florida Supreme Court on Feb. 12 denied a motion for a stay of execution and a motion for an extension due to the fading health and death of the father of Kearse's attorney. Attorneys for Kearse have filed a motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the execution, citing violations of the Sixth, Eighth and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution.

The Missouri House is moving forward with legislation that eliminates allowing a judge to sentence someone to death in the case of a deadlocked jury. House members gave first-round approval to the legislation last week. It is likely to pass the chamber this week. Missouri is one of two states where, if a jury is deadlocked on whether to sentence someone to death, the judge can issue the death penalty. Indiana is the other. The bill removes that ability.

Federal prosecutors say they will not appeal a judge's ruling that tossed capital punishment charge against accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer The accused killer's life will be spared after federal prosecutors said Friday they will not appeal a judge's ruling to quash capital punishment against him. In a letter, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District said it accepts U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett‘s Jan. 30 decision to dismiss a death penalty-eligible murder charge against Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson Dec. 4, 2024.

Iran confirms that its former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was killed in Israeli airstrike. Ahmadinejad was reportedly struck at his residence in the Narmak neighborhood of Tehran on February 28 (Saturday), along with bodyguards and companions.  Iranian sources confirmed his death in the attacks, which also killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and targeted other senior figures of the regime.

SAITAMA, Japan — Public prosecutors on Thursday demanded the death penalty for a 43-year-old man charged with the Christmas Day 2022 killing of a family of three in Hanno, a suburban city north of Tokyo. The prosecution’s closing argument in the lay judge trial of Jun Saito focused on the "malicious and brutal" nature of the attack that claimed the lives of 69-year-old American citizen William Bishop Jr., his wife Izumi Bishop, 68, and their daughter Sophianna, 32. The victims were found dead on the grounds of their residence in Saitama Prefecture on Dec. 25, 2022, after neighbors reported hearing screams. Authorities said the family was bludgeoned with blunt, hammer-like objects.

Chinese courts have concluded the trials of 2 major criminal groups based in northern Myanmar involved in telecom and online fraud, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) said Thursday.  At a press conference held by the SPC, it was revealed that by the end of 2025, courts across the country had concluded first-instance trials of over 27,000 cases related to telecom fraud operations in northern Myanmar, with more than 41,000 returned suspects sentenced.  Notably, among the trials of the so-called "4 major families" criminal gangs -- which had drawn widespread domestic and international attention -- those of the Ming and Bai groups have completed all judicial proceedings.

A confessed killer is set to be executed May 14 for murdering his former girlfriend and her infant daughter at their home in Tulsa in 2007 after a breakup.  Raymond Eugene Johnson, 51, has said in interviews from prison that he is remorseful.  "I try to wake up every day and better myself," he said in a 2023 interview posted online by Death Penalty Action, a not-for-profit organization that opposes executions.  "The thing that I committed ... was bad, and I don't want it to be in vain," he said. "I recognize it and I have to be better." 

Senate bill would reinstate death penalty in West Virginia  A bill moving in the West Virginia Senate would reinstate the death penalty for people convicted of 1t-degree murder and 1t-degree sexual abuse of children in the same proceeding.  The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 1037 Thursday afternoon.  The committee heard the testimony of Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger about the 2016 sexual assault and murder of nine-month-old Emmaleigh Barringer. 

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A Sri Lankan appeals court has upheld the death sentence for a man convicted of trafficking just over two grams of heroin, reaffirming the island nation’s strict—though currently symbolic—stance on narcotics offenses. The Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal filed by Jayasingam Rajeev, known by the alias "Sudakaran," who was sentenced to death by the Colombo High Court for the possession and trafficking of 2.53 grams of heroin. Under Sri Lankan law, possessing more than 2 grams of heroin can trigger a death sentence. This is why the case of "Sudakaran" (2.53 grams) resulted in such a heavy penalty. In a ruling delivered by Justices Shashi Mahendran and P. Kumararatnam, the court found that the original trial judge had correctly evaluated the evidence and that the prosecution had proven the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

A broad coalition of voices, including the victim’s daughter and a majority of the still-living jurors, are urging Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to grant clemency to 75-year-old death row inmate Charles “Sonny” Burton before his scheduled March 12 execution.  According to a news release from Burton’s attorneys and advocates, Burton — who has been on death row since 1992 — faces execution despite what the State of Alabama has long acknowledged: he did not kill anyone.  In 1991, Burton and 5 other men robbed an auto parts store in Talladega, Alabama. After Burton left the building, his co-defendant, Derrick DeBruce, shot and killed customer Doug Battle.