U.S. Justice Department Carries Out 10th Execution This Year

Alfred Bourgeois was put to death by lethal injection for murdering his 2-year-old daughter.

The Justice Department on Friday executed Alfred Bourgeois, a 56-year-old inmate sentenced to death for murdering his 2-year-old daughter in 2002.

Mr. Bourgeois’s execution was the 10th carried out by the Trump administration since the federal government resumed its use of capital punishment in July after a 17-year hiatus. The last scheduled by the Trump administration for 2020, Mr. Bourgeois’s execution adds to what became the deadliest year in the history of federal capital punishment since at least the 1920s.

Mr. Bourgeois was declared dead at 8:21 p.m. at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind., according to the Bureau of Prisons.

On Thursday, the federal government executed Brandon Bernard, despite a high-profile campaign for leniency that included Kim Kardashian West and two lawyers who helped defend President Trump during his impeachment. Mr. Trump’s administration has executed 3 people since Election Day, the only federal executions during the lame-duck period before a new presidential administration in at least 90 years.

The Justice Department said Mr. Bourgeois, once a truck driver living in Louisiana, tortured and beat to death his young daughter. After a paternity test established him as the father and a court ordered that he pay child support, Mr. Bourgeois temporarily assumed custody of his daughter, according to court filings.

When the child tipped over her potty chair in Mr. Bourgeois’s truck, he attacked the young girl, and she died the next day, the Justice Department said. After the jury heard evidence of his violence toward others, Mr. Bourgeois was sentenced to death in 2004 for the killing, which was a federal offense because it occurred at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.

In his final words, Mr. Bourgeois did not apologize, according to a report from a journalist in attendance. Rather, he asserted that he did not kill his daughter.

“I ask God to forgive all those who plotted and schemed against me, and planted false evidence,” he said, adding “I did not commit this crime.”

As the lethal injection began, Mr. Bourgeois gave a thumbs-up to his spiritual adviser, standing in a corner of the death chamber, the report said. Within minutes, his body was still.

In a statement, the victim’s family said they could now begin the process of healing, but justice should not have taken 18 years.

The department had scheduled Mr. Bourgeois’s execution for last January, but the previous month the Supreme Court let stand a lower court order that blocked it. A federal judge in Indiana also issued a stay in his case in March, after his defense claimed that Mr. Bourgeois was intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty. Another court vacated that stay in October.

The Federal Death Penalty Act bars the government from executing a mentally disabled inmate under the law, and the Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that mentally disabled criminals could not be put to death. His lawyers claimed that Mr. Bourgeois received IQ scores low enough to constitute evidence of deficits in intellectual functioning and underwent other assessments that they said helped show he should be exempt from capital punishment.

But like other inmates executed by the federal government this year, Mr. Bourgeois had no success with his final plea to delay his execution. The Supreme Court denied Mr. Bourgeois’s application for a stay on Friday, with Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissenting. Joined by Justice Kagan, Justice Sotomayor wrote that the court should resolve the legal issue in his case that is likely to recur before sanctioning Mr. Bourgeois’s execution.

Victor J. Abreu, a lawyer for Mr. Bourgeois, maintained that the government killed his client without fair consideration and “in spite of clear directives from the U.S. Supreme Court and federal laws that prohibited” his execution.

Another bid for reprieve in Mr. Bourgeois’s final days was also unsuccessful. In a 5-to-4 decision from the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the judges also declined to issue a stay in a challenge to the federal execution protocol.

The Federal Death Penalty Act requires executions to be carried out “in the manner prescribed by the law of the state in which the sentence is imposed.” Death row inmates have challenged the federal execution protocol with arguments about whether the law requires the federal government to follow details in the protocols required by the states.

Both Mr. Bernard and Mr. Bourgeois were sentenced in Texas. State law there requires a period of at least 90 days between the announcement and execution, but Mr. Bernard was given only 55 days and Mr. Bourgeois only 21 — a violation of federal law, their defense teams argued.

After the appeals court denied the inmates’ request in this case on Thursday, Mr. Bourgeois’s legal team declined to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Shawn Nolan, his lawyer, said the court has recently been unreceptive to litigation over the method of execution.

The next federal death row prisoner scheduled to die is Lisa M. Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row. Her execution is scheduled for Jan. 12. The Trump administration intends to put 3 inmates to death next month before President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. takes office. Mr. Biden has said he will work to end the federal death penalty.

Bourgeois becomes the 10th federal death row inmate to be put to death this year and the 13th overall since the US government resumed capital punishment on June 11, 2001.

Bourgeois becomes the 17th death row inmate executed this year and the 1,529th overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977.

There are no more executions currently scheduled for this year.

The 17 executions carried out in the USA this year are the lowest total since 14 executions were carried out in 1991, and a decrease from the 22 executions carried out nationwide last year.

The US Supreme Court re-authorized the death penalty on July 2, 1976, in the case of Gregg v. Georgia, and the nation carried out its first execution on January 17, 1977, when Gary Gilmore was shot to death in the Utah State Penitentiary. In 1999, 98 executions were carried out in the USA, marking the apex of executions in the post-Gregg years.

Source: New York Times, Staff; Rick Halperin, December 12, 2020

🚩 | 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

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....

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.

Georgia | Death penalty sought against woman in brutal killing of 4-year-old

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Prosecutors in Hall County are seeking the death penalty against a woman accused of the brutal killing of a 4-year-old girl whose body was found in a parked car last fall. In a court filing Monday, the State announced its intent to pursue capital punishment for Jessica Motes, who faces a litany of charges including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, and first-degree cruelty to children. The case began on Oct. 26, 2025, when authorities discovered the body of 4-year-old Autumn Fox. The child’s remains were found inside the trunk of a vehicle parked at a Sam’s Club in Oakwood, approximately 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Florida executes Billy Kearse

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.

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...

Chinese courts conclude trials of 2 criminal gangs from northern Myanmar, 16 sentenced to death

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.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog