Execution back on for Alabama death row inmate, convicted of killing Cullman motel clerk in 1987

The execution for Alabama death row inmate Doyle Lee Hamm is back on after an appeals court vacated a lower court's stay. Records show the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the state of Alabama's emergency motion to vacate Hamm's stay, which was issued earlier this month by U.S. District Judge Karon O Bowdre.

"We conclude the district court abused its discretion by staying Hamm's execution without making sufficient findings to establish a significant possibility of success on the merits," the court wrote in its order issued Tuesday afternoon.

The court wrote that the Supreme Court requires a "significant possibility of success on the merits" for a stay to be issued; however, the district court only stated Hamm showed a "substantial likelihood of success," which isn't sufficient.

The 11th Circuit Court also ordered the lower court to immediately appoint an independent medical examiner to evaluate Hamm-- whose lawyer says he suffers from lymphatic cancer-- and announce the findings no later than February 20 by 5 p.m. central time.

Hamm's execution is set for Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. at Holman Prison in Atmore.

"Since the district court's findings establish only the existence of genuine factual disputes concerning whether, as applied to Hamm, Alabama's method of execution carries a significant risk of being ineffective and painful, we conclude that the court abused its discretion in granting a stay," the order stated.

Hamm, 60, has been on death row since 1987 after being convicted of killing Patrick Cunningham-- a Cullman motel clerk.

According to information revealed in court and through records, Hamm was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and underwent treatment. The Alabama Department of Corrections said Hamm's cancer went into remission in March 2016, and no scans from an oncologist have been performed since. In the spring of 2017, Hamm complained of having lumps on his chest and abdomen area. An X-ray was performed, but no PET scans or biopsies were completed. Earlier this month, doctors said there was no evidence of cancer in his clavicle, but did not have a definitive answer about the other lumps.

In Bowdre's 25-page order granting the stay, she states: "If his current medical condition includes compromised peripheral veins, lymphoma untreated for 3 years, and lymphadenopathy... the injection of fluid could 'blow out' his veins with infiltration of drugs into the surrounding tissue; and efforts to place a central line could be hindered by enlarged lymph nodes creating a higher risk of puncturing a central artery--all resulting in severe and unnecessary pain." She also called the scenario "gruesome."

Source: al.com, February 15, 2018

Court: Execution OK for Inmate Claiming Damaged Veins

A federal appeals court overturns stay of lethal injection for Alabama murder convict who says his veins are damaged.

A federal appeals court says Alabama, at least for now, can proceed toward the execution of an inmate who argues that a lethal injection would be cruel because lymphoma and hepatitis C have damaged his veins.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday overturned a federal judge's stay of execution for Doyle Lee Hamm, who is scheduled to be put to death on Feb. 22 for the 1987 murder of motel clerk Patrick Cunningham.

The appellate court ruled that a judge prematurely stayed the execution, but agreed there are unsettled questions about Hamm's health.

The 3-judge panel said an independent medical expert should review Hamm's condition immediately.

Source: The Associated Press, February 15, 2018

Bill to allow execution by nitrogen hypoxia clears committee

A bill to create a 3rd method of execution for death penalty inmates in Alabama won approval today in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The bill, by Sen. Trip Pittman, would allow death row inmates to choose execution by nitrogen hypoxia.

Current law requires that executions in Alabama be carried out by lethal injection unless the condemned inmate chooses electrocution.

Pittman said he believes the death penalty is appropriate for some heinous crimes and that nitrogen hypoxia would be a more humane method.

Pittman said Oklahoma has already made nitrogen hypoxia one option for execution.

The committee approved the bill by a vote of 11-1, moving it to the Senate floor.

Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, said she opposed the death penalty but said she believed nitrogen hypoxia would be a more humane method.

Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, voted against the bill.

Source: al.com, February 15, 2018

⚑ | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com.

Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Comments

Alabama | Gov. Ivey commutes Charles “Sonny” Burton’s death sentence

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Gov. Kay Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Charles “Sonny” Burton, who was set to be executed Thursday. The governor’s office released the following statement: “Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday announced that she has commuted the death sentence of Charles L. Burton to life in prison with no chance of parole. Mr. Burton was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1991 capital murder of Doug Battle in Talladega, Alabama. As required by law, the governor first reached out to a representative of Mr. Battle’s family. She also notified the attorney general. Governor Ivey’s letter to Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm is attached.

Maldives | Death penalty law for drug trafficking now in effect

MALÉ, Maldives (DPN) — The Maldives has officially brought into force an amendment to its Narcotics Act that introduces the death penalty for large-scale drug trafficking, marking a significant and controversial shift in the island nation’s criminal justice policy. The amended law, which took effect Saturday, March 7, 2026, allows for capital punishment in cases involving the smuggling and importation of specific quantities of illicit substances. The move fulfills a key pledge by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration to crack down on the country’s growing narcotics crisis and protect what he has termed the nation’s “100 percent Islamic society.” Thresholds for Capital Punishment Under the new provisions, the death penalty is not a mandatory sentence but an available option for the judiciary when specific criteria are met. The law establishes clear weight thresholds for substances brought into the country: Cannabis: More than 350 grams. Diamorphine (Heroin): More than 250 grams....

Texas executes Cedric Ricks

A Texas man was put to death Wednesday evening for fatally stabbing his girlfriend and her 8-year-old son in 2013, apologizing profusely to her older son who survived with multiple stab wounds and witnessed the execution. Cedric Ricks, 51, was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. CDT following a lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He was condemned for the May 2013 killings of 30-year-old Roxann Sanchez and her son Anthony Figueroa at their apartment in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Bedford. Sanchez’s 12-year-old son, Marcus Figueroa, was stabbed 25 times and feigned death in order to survive.

Missouri Man Said DNA Test Could Prove Innocence. He Was Executed Before a Court Ruled.

Lance Shockley died by lethal injection last year. State courts have rejected prisoners’ requests for DNA testing in recent years. Lance Shockley, a man on death row in Missouri, wanted items from the crime scene to undergo DNA testing to potentially prove his innocence. The court scheduled proceedings on his request — but the date set was for two days after his execution. Patty Prewitt can’t have her DNA tested — and fully clear her name — because her sentence was commuted and she is no longer in prison. And others, including Lamar McVay, who is serving 30 years for a robbery, can’t even get an answer from the state on his DNA testing request. He's still awaiting a ruling on a motion he filed in September 2022.

Supreme Court Denies Alabama Appeal, Allowing New Trial in Death Row Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for a new trial for one of Alabama’s longest-serving people on death row after declining to review a lower court ruling that prosecutors violated his constitutional rights by intentionally rejecting Black jurors. According to an article written by the Associated Press, one of the longest-serving death row inmates in Alabama might receive a new trial after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the state’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling that prosecutors had violated his rights by intentionally rejecting Black jurors. According to the article, on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the ruling from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This decision paved the way for Michael Sockwell, the 63-year-old death row inmate, to receive a new trial.

Alabama | Death row inmate granted clemency shares emotional message on day he was set to die

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.

U.S. | These States Don’t Want You to See the Cruelty of Their Executions

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.

Prosecutors seek death penalty in 2 Georgia cases

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in two separate Georgia criminal cases. One involves the killing of a Gwinnett County police officer and another is over the death of a 4-year-old girl in Hall County . Kevin Andrews is charged in the death of 25-year-old Gwinnett County Police Officer Pradeep Tamang, who was shot and killed while investigating a credit card fraud case. Authorities said Andrews had an outstanding warrant and shot at officers without warning. Another officer, David Reed, was seriously injured.

Florida | Governor DeSantis signs death warrant in 2008 murder case

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Michael L. King, setting an execution date of March 17, 2026, at 6 p.m. King was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2008 kidnapping, sexual battery and murder of Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old North Port mother. On January 17, 2008, Michael Lee King abducted 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee from her North Port home by forcing her into his green Chevrolet Camaro. He drove her around while she was bound, including to his cousin's house to borrow tools like a shovel. King took her to his home, where he sexually battered her, then placed her in the backseat of his car. Later that evening, he drove to a remote area, shot her in the face, and buried her nude body in a shallow grave. Her remains were discovered two days later. During the crime, multiple 9-1-1 calls were made, but communication breakdowns between emergency dispatch centers delayed the response. The case drew national attention and prompted w...

Texas Plans Second Execution of the Year

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.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog