Death Penalty News

A Lincoln County man pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of murder in the killings of his father and uncle, forgoing a trial where he planned to argue that years of childhood sexual abuse by the victims contributed to his actions. Brandon Mullins, 27, of Eubank, Ky., entered the plea in Lincoln Circuit Court as part of an agreement with prosecutors. He will serve 40 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced in April. The bodies of Mullins' father, Dennis “Ed” Mullins, 57, and uncle, Anthony Mullins, 55, were discovered inside a trailer on Sandidge Spur Road in Eubank in what authorities described as a double homicide. Mullins faced additional charges including tampering with physical evidence.

The proposal, aligned with President Trump’s executive order, would ease certification requirements and make approvals permanent for qualifying states WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice is proposing a rule aimed at speeding up the federal review process in state death penalty cases — a move officials say could significantly shorten the time between conviction and execution. Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced the proposal on March 17 , describing it as part of a broader effort to streamline capital case proceedings and reduce delays that can stretch on for years.

Iran has reportedly carried out the execution of a man it accused of espionage for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. The man was executed on Wednesday, March 18, marking the first such death penalty carried out since the outbreak of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Tehran. Sweden confirmed the executed individual held Swedish citizenship, prompting sharp condemnation from Stockholm and a diplomatic summons for Iran’s ambassador.

The executed man was arrested in June 2025. A Swedish citizen was executed in Iran on Wednesday, according to a statement released by Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard. “It is with dismay that I have received information that a Swedish citizen has been executed in Iran earlier today,” Stenergard wrote, adding “the responsibility for this rests solely with Iran.” The executed man, who has not been named, was arrested in June 2025 according to the Foreign Ministry.

Egypt’s Court of Cassation issued a final and irrevocable ruling on Sunday upholding the death sentence for Karim Selim, known as the “Tagamoa killer,” for murdering 3 women and disposing their bodies in desert areas.  The court based its decision on the proven material and moral elements of the crimes attributed to the defendant, which include premeditated murder, desecration of the bodies, human trafficking, and possession of narcotics.  During his arguments before the Court of Cassation, the defendant’s lawyers insisted on overturning the earlier verdict and requesting a retrial, citing arguments related to his client’s mental instability.

Christian sanitation worker falsely accused under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and imprisoned for over 3 years could receive the death penalty ISLAMABAD (10 March 2026) – A Pakistani Christian father accused under the country’s draconian blasphemy laws is awaiting a potential death penalty verdict in a case that raises serious concerns about religious freedom and the exploitation of blasphemy accusations by organized networks.  The trial proceedings concerning Pakistani Christian Ishtiaq Saleem have reached a critical stage, with the court completing hearings relating to false blasphemy-charges against Saleem, while proceedings continue for his co-accused. 

OSAKA – The Osaka High Court ruled Tuesday that a defendant's withdrawal of his appeal against a death sentence in the Kyoto Animation arson-murder case is valid. Shinji Aoba, 47, was sentenced to death by the Kyoto District Court in January 2024 and appealed the sentence the following month.  However, he retracted the appeal in January 2025. His lawyers then filed an appeal with the high court to contest the validity of his decision , claiming that a death sentence should not be made final on impulse. In Tuesday's ruling, presiding Judge Hisashi Ito said that Aoba clearly understood the meaning of his decision.

Iran has executed a man identified as Kourosh Keyvani after convicting him of espionage for Israel, according to reports by the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency. Mizan said Keyvani was executed on Wednesday morning after his death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. He had been accused of passing “images and information of sensitive locations” to officers of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. The report said Keyvani was arrested in Savojbolagh on the fourth day of the 12-day war in June. Authorities said the case had gone through legal procedures, but no independent evidence supporting the allegations was made public.

Killer of stay-at-home mom whose death led to 911 reform is executed Michael King kidnapped Denise Amber Lee from her Florida home in broad daylight in 2008. If it weren't for a botched 911 call, Lee may have survived the ordeal.  Florida has executed a death row inmate for the rape and murder of a stay-at-home mom whose death exposed the vulnerabilities of the 911 system nationwide and led to reform within the industry.  Michael King, 54, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday, March 17, for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee. King abducted the married mother of 2 young sons from her home in broad daylight on Jan. 17, 2008, less than an hour before Lee's husband returned from work. 

A district court in eastern Japan has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for killing a family of three four years ago. The defendant, 43-year-old Saito Jun, was charged with using an axe to kill William Bishop Jr., a 69-year-old US national, his 68-year old wife, Morita Izumi, and their 32-year-old daughter, Morita Sophianna Megumi in December, 2022. The daughter had been visiting their home in Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture. Prosecutors sought a death sentence, claiming he could be held fully responsible. But the defense argued the court should cautiously judge whether he is indeed the perpetrator, and should he be found guilty, he could not be held criminally responsible due to mental illness.

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Florida is preparing to carry out its fourth execution of the year as advocates against the death penalty warn about what they call a record pace of executions in the state. Fifty-four-year-old Michael King is scheduled to be executed Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison for the 2008 rape and murder of Denise Amber Lee. King will become the 32nd person to be executed under Governor Ron DeSantis. Advocates with the Tampa-based nonprofit Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty say the growing number of executions in Florida is concerning.

A man convicted of the 1990 murder of his neighbor while burglarizing her home is scheduled to be the 6th person executed in Florida this year. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday, March 13, issued a death warrant for Chadwick Willacy, 58.  Willacy was in Marlys Sather's home when she arrived home from work unexpectedly. He struck her several times, tied her up, attempted to strangle her, and then set the house on fire after removing the smoke detectors and dousing her with gasoline, prosecutors said. Willacy's record to that point included some minor offenses in New York and Florida, mostly drug-related.

Alabama governor commuted death sentence of Charles Burton, 75, who didn't kill anyone An Alabama man who was outside a building when a man was killed in an armed robbery is looking at life as "a gift from God" after being granted clemency by the state’s governor just days before he was scheduled to be executed.  Charles "Sonny" Burton, 75, was sentenced to death for his role in the robbery of a Talladega AutoZone store that left a man dead in 1991.  While Burton left the store before Derrick DeBruce gunned down customer Doug Battle, he was tried and convicted as an accomplice, with prosecutors insisting Burton acted as the group’s leader in the armed robbery. 

The People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday sentenced four defendants to death for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking ring in the city. Those receiving the death penalty for "illegal trading narcotic substances" were Nguyen Binh Dai (born in 1988), Mac Vinh Khiem (1991), Thai Duy Quang (1990), and Nguyen Binh Trieu (1972), all residents of HCMC. In the same case, Tran Tong Dung, born in 1974, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for illegal drug trading and storage. Huynh My Ngoc (2002), Thach Ngoc Yen Vy (2001), and Nguyen Dai Nghia (1997) received life sentences, while Pham Thanh Phuong (1997) from An Giang Province was sentenced to 20 years in jail for illegally transporting drugs.

SB 134 would expand enhanced penalties for child abuse to all victims under 18 LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky lawmakers are discussing tougher penalties for people who abuse children. The bill — Jayden’s Law — comes after the death of 10-year-old Jayden Spicer from Breathitt County. Spicer was was reported missing in August and after nearly a weeklong search, his body was found. State Senator Brandon Smith, R - Hazard, remembers the search.

NASHVILLE, TN — State lawmakers are moving forward with legislation that would expand the state’s death penalty statute to allow the death penalty in certain child rape cases. On Wed. March 11, the House Judiciary Committee advanced House Bill 1454, which would add 12 new aggravating factors to Tennessee law that prosecutors must prove before a jury can impose a death sentence. Bill sponsor Greg Martin, R-Hixson, said the measure is intended to close a gap that was discovered after lawmakers authorized the death penalty for child rape last year.

The use of the death penalty has risen sharply in the United States, with more executions in 2025 than any year since 2009. It is a cruel and unjust development. In theory, the death penalty is reserved for “the worst of the worst.” In practice, it is very different. People who are executed for their crimes are disproportionately poor or intellectually disabled and often lacked good lawyers. They are also more likely to be sentenced to death if they have been convicted of killing a white person. Anthony Boyd, who maintained his innocence until Alabama executed him last year at age 54, had an inexperienced court-appointed lawyer and was convicted on disputed eyewitness testimony. Charles Flores, 56, has spent 27 years on death row in Texas for a murder conviction based solely on unreliable testimony from a hypnotized witness. Robert Roberson, who has autism, remains on death row there despite having been convicted on now-debunked evidence that he had shaken his daughter to death.

A March 9, 2026, com­pe­ten­cy hear­ing for Andre Thomas, a death-sen­tenced pris­on­er in Texas, has been post­poned to an unspec­i­fied date because of con­cerns that Mr. Thomas is too men­tal­ly ill to be trans­port­ed to his com­pe­ten­cy hear­ing and he could not be re-exam­ined by the State’s expert. Mr. Thomas was sched­uled to be exe­cut­ed in April 2023; how­ev­er, his exe­cu­tion date was with­drawn in March 2023 , cit­ing con­cerns with his severe men­tal ill­ness (SMI) and com­pe­ten­cy to face execution.

SYDNEY — Six members of Iran’s women’s national football team have been granted humanitarian asylum in Australia after a high-stakes protest against their home government left them facing potential charges of "wartime treason." The athletes, who were competing in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, sparked a diplomatic crisis on March 2 by refusing to sing the Islamic Republic’s national anthem before their opening match against South Korea.