Lawmakers introduce bill to abolish Kentucky’s death penalty

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.

Neal said the issue demands serious consideration “because of its finality.” He added that life without parole would still remove convicted individuals from society while bringing closure to affected families.

Kentucky’s last execution was nearly 20 years ago.

“I take the position that life without parole extracts the person without society. It brings finality in terms of families who are affected,” Neal said.

Kentucky’s last execution was nearly 20 years ago. Previous efforts to abolish the death penalty in the state have been unsuccessful.

Neal acknowledged that getting the bill a hearing in the legislature may be a challenge.

“It depends on whose sitting in the seat that makes the decision of whether or not you’re going to get a hearing, that’s a major thing in Kentucky, in particular given our history,” Neal said.

WKYT reached out to Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office for comment. The office declined to comment directly but referred WKYT to remarks Coleman made in November on Kentucky Newsmakers.

“I believe the death penalty is the law of the commonwealth and as the AG I do to execute the law of this commonwealth — it’s the law of the general assembly,” Coleman said.

Neal said he intends to continue pushing the legislation.

“Something I believe that is as serious as that is something that you’ve got to persist with,” Neal said.

WKYT also reached out to Meredith, the bill’s co-sponsor, for comment. He had not responded as of the time of this report.

Source: WKYT.news, Staff, March 4, 2026

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

— Oscar Wilde

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